Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 67
Chapter Title: Toppling the Scarecrow King
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Rakradion was witnessing an absurd scene right now.
A direct descendant of Valheim hurling insults and provoking Pendal.
No matter how you sliced it, the fact remained that Pendal had struck first against a Valheim direct descendant.
But he never imagined a noble would react like this.
And Pendal was just as stunned.
Rage boiled within him—he wanted to smash Krash right then and there—but remembering he was a Valheim, he gritted his teeth and held back.
Watching the scene, Krash let out a mocking chuckle.
"You were bold enough pulling crap from behind my back, but now you're scared?"
"......You think you can handle the fallout? You said you'd conquer the 8th floor, but now you're picking a fight with me."
Krash snorted derisively.
"Playing king in the Demon Palace has made you blind, huh?"
Pendal's eyebrow twitched.
But Krash ignored it, turning to step outside.
"Then it's simple. Once I smash you, all those guys you've been crushing will come out cheering."
Blades seemed to flash in Pendal's eyes.
Those words were as good as a declaration of war.
"Grown up in the Valheim greenhouse, so you don't even know the skill gap?"
"Then you're an idiot who doesn't even know what a greenhouse is."
Pendal's crew fell silent watching Krash, who didn't yield an inch.
It was the first time anyone in the Demon Palace had provoked Pendal like this.
Pendal let out a sharp breath, facing someone who dared provoke him this much after so long.
He clenched his fists with a crack, his eyes gleaming fiercely.
"Just in case—you don't think if I wreck you, Valheim will show up for revenge or something, right?"
"Why would they do something that embarrassing?"
Krash looked at Pendal like he was the absurd one.
"Your premise is wrong from the start. Pointless to talk impossibilities."
His provocations were masterful.
Pendal barely held onto his reason.
Kill him.
'No matter what, I'll kill this bastard with my own hands.'
He swallowed his boiling rage and jerked his chin at Krash, signaling him to lead the way.
His mind was filled with thoughts of crushing him.
As Krash and Pendal headed out, the tense tavern erupted into chaos.
Pendal, who had reigned as king in the Demon Palace, clashing with Krash, a direct descendant of the world's strongest family, Valheim.
It was bound to cause a stir.
Pendal's crew and the crowd surged after them.
No one wanted to miss such an entertaining spectacle.
As the people poured out, Rakradion slowly rose from her seat.
She had no idea what the Valheim scion was thinking, but she decided to see the outcome.
Pendal.
He wielded his twin hook swords with effortless mastery, a famed powerhouse even in the Demon Palace.
Though he lacked the formal training of imperial or royal knights.
The swordsmanship and killing prowess he'd honed climbing the Demon Palace were undeniably superb.
Yet he'd hit the wall to Master and stagnated, abandoning further progress.
He'd realized his own limits.
Still, it was more than enough to rule as king in the Demon Palace.
Most there were mediocre types who couldn't even reach the pinnacle of Expert.
Now Krash stood before him.
The Valheim direct descendant lightly tapped his calf as if loosening up.
Pendal was dumbfounded.
No matter how he looked, Krash was barely scraping the top tier of Expert.
Even among top Experts, the gaps were vast.
And those gaps were wider than one might think.
Not to mention his far greater combat experience.
A 14-year-old Valheim—how much fighting could he have done?
'Betting on Valheim secret arts?'
The strongest family surely had a few hidden techniques.
Pendal narrowed his eyes.
'Secret arts or whatever.'
The wall to true heights remained unchanged.
"No regrets?"
"Quit yapping. Just come at me. Let's end this quick."
Pendal dropped all hesitation.
No point talking further.
Just smash the brat.
With that thought, Pendal's figure blurred.
True to his wolf moniker, he dropped into an incredibly low stance and lunged at Krash in an instant.
His low posture made his sword thrust seem impossibly extended as it struck at Krash.
Clang!
The clash of Pendal's hook sword and Krash's blade echoed.
Krash had drawn his sword in a flash, meeting it perfectly.
A brilliant parry, so fast the eye could barely follow.
And his sword was unusual.
The blade was pitch black, and it looked incredibly sturdy.
'Darksteel.'
A tough metal, hard to forge, but unbreakable if handled right.
As expected of Valheim—expensive gear.
But Pendal's hooks weren't for show.
They hooked Krash's blade and yanked it toward him.
Aura and strength favored Pendal.
Naturally, Krash was pulled along.
Simultaneously, Pendal's other sword flashed toward him.
He aimed to hook the throat.
A nice scar would satisfy him.
Clang!
Another sword clash rang out.
Pendal's eyes widened faintly.
The hooked blade had twisted free, blocking the follow-up.
'This punk.'
He'd deliberately relaxed his grip at the last moment, twisting at a razor-sharp angle.
One slip, and he'd have lost his sword—and taken a hit.
Perfect force control.
But Pendal's eyebrow twitched for another reason.
It wasn't instinct—Krash had done it through experience and precise calculation.
Meaning...
In that exchange, Pendal had been outmatched in experience.
'Where'd this kid slaughter thousands?'
Pendal felt absurdly baffled.
Then Krash switched tactics.
He stepped forward deeply, closing in.
Black flames roared up his blade.
Startled by the sudden blaze, Pendal recoiled, withdrawing his sword.
"......A skill?"
Pendal frowned.
As expected of a Valheim direct descendant—blessed with skills.
But so what.
That ambush had failed too.
Judging Krash had shown his hand, Pendal spread his hook swords wide.
"Want me to show why I rule as king?"
He smirked mockingly at the silent Krash.
Crackle!
Grey-green sparks erupted from his hooks.
The crowd gasped at the flashy display.
It was a skill.
Pendal was the sole skill user in the current Demon Palace.
Not even all nobles got skills, yet Pendal wielded divine favor.
It elevated him above climbers and fueled his pride.
Made him feel superior to knights and middling nobles.
One side: roaring flames.
The other: crackling lightning.
Pendal moved first.
Crackle!
Leaving lightning trails, he shot forward—faster than before.
As his sparking hook slashed at Krash, Krash countered.
Clang, clang, clang!
Sparks and flames burst wildly amid the clashes.
Pendal's onslaught was a blur too fast to track.
Lightning flashes threatened onlookers each time.
But Krash held his own.
His blade sealed every path Pendal's attacked, near-prophetic.
Thanks to his Sixth Sense meshed with Dull Sword.
Rakradion's emerald eyes widened at the sight.
'Dull Sword?'
Dull Sword wasn't learned overnight.
Even veteran swordsmen found it tricky.
It demanded stacks of real battle experience.
Krash looked underage.
Yet Dull Sword.
Rakradion couldn't believe her eyes.
What was this boy?
Pendal felt the same.
His predictions blocked every strike.
Unbelievable.
He outpaced Krash in aura and speed.
Yet not a single blade had touched him—power wasted.
Beyond the tricky Dull Sword, Krash matching him straight-up infuriated Pendal.
Had he rusted hanging with his crew?
Unable to overwhelm a mere kid—it enraged him.
He refocused his mind.
This wasn't stomping a sprout.
A true foe demanding full power.
Crackle!
Lightning raced up his arm.
His aura accelerated him further.
Keep blocking with Dull Sword?
'I'll shatter you with it.'
Like a wolf tearing a throat.
Sparks exploded as his blade struck at Krash.
Rakradion gasped at the massive power—Pendal meant to kill the Valheim heir.
As she moved to intervene—
Krash calmly inhaled.
That instant.
Black flames surged on Krash's blade, clashing with Pendal's at otherworldly speed.
Far beyond his limits.
BOOM!
Lightning and fire collided in a raging storm.
"Argh?!"
"Gahhh!"
Onlookers tumbled in the blast as Rakradion stared unblinking.
Through the smoke, Krash moved at speeds eclipsing Pendal's cognition.
Pendal tried to block too late.
His arms flung wide by the force—Krash elbowed his jaw without hesitation.
Thwack!
Brain rattled, Pendal dropped his sword—Krash stomped his chest as he fell.
Thud!
"Guh!"
His blade hovered at Pendal's throat as smoke cleared.
Onlookers took in the scene one by one.
"P-Pendal... lost?"
All stared in disbelief.
The Demon Palace king felled by a boy not yet grown.
Those who knew Pendal's strength were stunned.
"Valheim indeed."
"Even Pendal couldn't handle it."
"Tch, strutting like that. Thought he'd at least hold up as a fellow climber. What a sight."
They quickly turned on Pendal, tearing him down.
Many resented his reign.
Valheim was untouchable, no matter his struggles.
As they shook their heads, Rakradion's mouth parted slightly.
Having witnessed it all, she knew bloodline alone didn't explain Krash vs. Pendal.
The black flames surging from Krash.
She knew them—from her days amid World Erosion.
They were akin to curses.
'That child.'
No ordinary knight or noble path.
Those sinister flames were self-imposed curses, suppressed and unleashed horrifically.
'What...'
She stared blankly at Krash.
Dull Sword's experience-born style, plus curse-laden flames.
All things carved from one's own flesh.
She'd assumed Valheim youth got strong via talent, secret arts.
But this was far from innate or taught.
It reminded her of her own sword.
Had she carved herself that deep at his age?
Even now?
Rakradion clenched her fist tight.
Trapped at Master entry—was her past "effort" enough to break through?
She and Pendal were no different.
Shameful.
She yearned to swing her sword.
For progress alone.
One swordsman, inspired by a boy's spar, dreamed anew.