Chapter 79
Chapter 79
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 79
Chapter Title: Falling Down Again?
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After the storm of Black Flame and lightning swept through.
Krash was quietly catching his breath.
Was it because of the fierce battle? His vision was blurry.
At the same time, his throbbing body yearned to collapse to the ground right away.
But Krash stubbornly resisted that temptation.
Crack, craaaack!
At that moment, cracks began to form on Krash's pitch-black sword.
Even this sword, renowned for its sturdiness, couldn't withstand Krash's Annihilating Heavenly Thunder and had split open.
The sword Krash had forged with all his focus was growing ever more destructive.
A secret art with power so immense that even master-level experts would struggle to block it if used just once.
And Krash was continuously refining that secret art.
Just once.
In that single strike, Krash approached the realm of absolute supremacy.
The problem was that the strain it placed on his body increased just as much as its destructive power.
Krash clenched his fist tightly.
'I've advanced it once more.'
The sword sheath of lightning he had created through Lioner.
Combining only the explosive power of that lightning sheath with the demon sword's drawing technique.
As a result, Krash no longer needed to assume the basic drawing stance of sheathing the sword.
He had broken free from the limitations of the drawing technique.
Thus, Annihilating Heavenly Thunder could no longer be called a mere drawing art.
It was a new secret art born from piecing together elements of Krash's various secret arts and skills.
'Of course, it guzzles so much output that I can't use it except in critical moments.'
Straying from the drawing technique form in everyday situations wouldn't be easy.
That was why he felt such an intense thirst.
A burning thirst to grow even stronger.
Gripping the shattered pitch-black sword, Krash heightened his Sixth Sense.
Then he waited patiently for the smoke to clear.
Soon, as the smoke dissipated, the scene he had wrought came into clear view.
Before the devastated landscape, where even the surrounding fields had been reduced to scorched earth.
An old man lay collapsed on the ground.
Drained of all his vitality, the man—now little more than skin and bones—was no longer breathing.
Confirming this, Krash trudged forward.
From the old man's hand, still clenched tight to the end, Krash pried the Roaring Thunder.
He could see the empty blade slot of the Roaring Thunder.
Krash quietly summoned his aura.
Rumble!
With a thunderous roar, a golden blade formed along his aura.
Then Krash infused it with the power of World Erosion.
Jet-black Black Flame rose over the golden blade.
Even though it was his first time wielding it, it fit perfectly in his hand, like a sword he'd used his whole life.
It was indeed worthy of being called a Heavenly Sword.
Krash carefully stowed the Roaring Thunder and turned around.
There, Lakradion waited alongside Crimson Garden.
[You wrecked the sword I so graciously prepared for you. What an ungrateful brat.]
Crimson Garden grumbled curtly, but she knew the value of the Roaring Thunder.
That was why she didn't press the issue further.
The problem was Lakradion.
"Lord Krash, that lightning..."
She had witnessed Pendal's skill Lioner many times before.
So naturally, the moment she saw Lioner, she recognized it as Pendal's skill.
'With Ignis, the World Erosion from Extreme Blood Poison Infusion overlapped and looked like a curse, so no one noticed it was Ignis.'
But Lioner had no such disguise, so Lakradion couldn't help but notice.
"It's my skill now. I stole it from Pendal."
So Krash told her plainly, without hiding anything.
There was no other way to explain it anyway.
"How despicable."
He had stolen a skill from a dying former comrade.
From Lakradion's perspective, it was certainly something she could condemn.
"...No. If Pendal knew you could fight Nakcheon like this because of it, I'm sure he'd be pleased."
Instead, Lakradion bowed her head as if in gratitude.
Krash awkwardly scratched his head for a moment.
Enough of this talk.
"Lakradion."
"Yes."
At Krash's call, Lakradion rummaged in her bosom.
A scroll emerged, seemingly well-preserved even through the intense battle.
It was the coordinate-designated teleport scroll they had bought for a fortune in Halgram not long ago.
The coordinates were preset to the entrance of the Demonic Palace.
Prepared for this very day, Krash stood before it.
"I'll activate it now."
The moment she tore the scroll with a rip, the plain beneath Krash and Lakradion's feet transformed into paved stone blocks.
Before the entrance to the Demonic Palace.
Returning to the spot now bathed in midday sun, Krash staggered as he took a step.
Lakradion hurriedly supported him.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine. I've got to hold out a bit longer until I see that familiar face."
Krash patted Lakradion's supporting arm as if to say he was okay, then stood on his own.
He looked ready to collapse any second, but he forced himself upright through sheer willpower.
He'd probably be bedridden for three days straight once he got back.
But that was just par for the course now.
"Lord Krash, do you remember what I said before entering the 8th floor? That I had one request."
Of course he remembered.
It wasn't that long ago.
"But."
"I'd like to make that request right here, right now."
Lakradion's eyes burned with unwavering seriousness.
Seeing them, Krash turned to face her fully.
"Go ahead."
"I will conquer the Demonic Palace."
The remaining floors of the Demonic Palace were the 9th and 10th.
Krash only cared about getting the Roaring Thunder, so he had no intention of challenging it further.
Yet Lakradion declared she would conquer it.
"And when I've fully conquered the Demonic Palace as promised with Pendal."
She spoke to Krash as if this were the next goal of her life.
"I want to become your knight."
The unexpected words from her lips made Krash's eyes widen round.
"My knight?"
He'd seen it happen occasionally before.
Plenty of people had volunteered to become Arthur's knights.
Mary, that thick-headed girl, was a prime example.
But perhaps because he'd always viewed such things as distant affairs.
Krash had never given it a second thought.
Yet Lakradion's eyes held pure sincerity.
She truly wished to become Krash's knight.
"...I'm the youngest of the Valheims. I don't really have a position waiting for me in the family."
Leaving aside Charlotte, his eldest brother and second sister were monsters in Krash's eyes.
Even Belokin, who dominated outside, was treated as a nobody within the Valheim abyss.
Reaching the top among them was still a distant dream for Krash.
"That's fine. Becoming your knight is all I desire."
Meeting Krash had allowed Lakradion to rediscover the path of the sword.
So she wanted to wield her blade for him as his knight.
'A knight at the entry to master level.'
It wasn't a bad deal for Krash at all.
Masters were so rare worldwide that their numbers barely reached four digits.
Judging by today's Lakradion, she could one day surpass even the entry level.
Having such a person as his knight was no different from gaining an incredibly reliable ally.
Krash didn't dislike Lakradion's steadfast nature either.
So there was no reason for him to dissuade her.
"If your mind hasn't changed after clearing the Demonic Palace, then do it."
People's thoughts could shift unpredictably.
So Krash said it without great expectations.
"Yes. I'll come find you again soon."
Her response made it seem like it really wouldn't be long.
By then.
He'd have grown a lot himself, Krash thought.
After parting with Lakradion, Krash headed straight off.
The place he arrived at was none other than an inn.
Inside the inn where his companions had been staying.
As soon as Krash appeared, gazes turned his way.
Most of the inn's guests were challengers who made their living off the Demonic Palace's spoils.
Naturally, people began whispering as soon as he showed up.
"Isn't that a Valheim direct descendant?"
"If he's back, does that mean..."
"I heard the Pendalrod guys all came out the other day too. They were in bad shape, right? Come to think of it, Pendal's missing."
"The Valheim direct descendant looks fine. So what about Nakcheon?"
Various murmurs flew back and forth, but Krash paid them no mind.
Instead, he climbed the stairs and knocked lightly on a door.
Rustling sounds came from inside, and the door creaked open.
Krash's eyes caught sight of white hair and snowflake hairpins.
A month had passed, perhaps? Bianca, whom he hadn't seen in a while, seemed a bit taller than before.
The moment Bianca spotted Krash, her eyes widened.
"Lord Krash!"
As if she'd been waiting all this time, a joyful smile spread across her face—but then Krash quietly spoke.
"...I've reached my limit."
And with that, Krash collapsed.
News that Nakcheon, the specter of the Demonic Palace, had fallen spread like wildfire, turning the palace upside down.
And the one who felled Nakcheon was none other than Valheim direct descendant Krash Valheim.
Was it because Krash had coordinated with Pendalrod in advance?
Fortunately, there was no mention of the Armed Princess among the people.
If word got out that a World Erosion entity had appeared in the Demonic Palace, it would cause utter chaos.
On top of that, Krash had claimed he cooperated with Pendalrod to conquer the 8th floor.
It was his final courtesy to Pendal.
Thus, as Krash's situation evolved moment by moment.
Ironically, turmoil was brewing at Raheln Academy on a scale matching his own changes.
Which made perfect sense.
The Empire and the four great kingdoms.
Even smaller nations subordinate to the four kingdoms had sent their talents to the academy.
Among them, the Empire faction and Kingdom faction emerged as the central powers.
Unsurprisingly, clashes between the two erupted repeatedly.
Even when professors intervened to mediate, the factions simply shifted to subtler methods instead of stopping outright.
And at the forefront of this strife were two individuals.
One was the prodigy from the Empire, renowned for her striking beauty and masterful swordsmanship, destined to lead the next generation: Sigrin Epania.
Her skill with the white sword known as the Dragon's Fang—one of the Ten Heavenly Swords of the teens—was nothing short of astonishing.
It wasn't for nothing that the Empire hailed her as a sword genius.
She demonstrated overwhelming prowess.
Thus, the Empire faction naturally rallied around her.
Of course, the First Imperial Prince's subtle checks worked against her from the shadows.
But he was already over twenty and ineligible to enroll at the academy.
He couldn't stop Sigrin from dominating the Empire faction within its walls.
And her rival, standing in opposition, was none other than the Sword Saint of Valheim.
Charlotte Valheim.
Already a perfected genius whom even Sigrin had to yield to.
She reigned as the academy's absolute authority.
But Charlotte's issue was that she had no interest in gathering a Kingdom faction.
She simply roamed the academy as she pleased.
When representatives from the four kingdoms tried to check her.
She crushed them with pure overwhelming force.
After being smashed by Charlotte, the four kingdoms' faction didn't dare touch her.
Thus, Charlotte inevitably became their center.
Better to follow the dragon's path than try taming it.
As fierce storms raged within Raheln Academy.
A man slowly walked through the royal palace of Staron Kingdom.
His unique hair, a mix of white and gold, framed vivid violet eyes.
"Raheln Academy is in quite the state, as expected."
Having heard the news, he reacted as if he'd anticipated it.
The middle-aged noble trailing him bowed his head.
"Yes, but with Charlotte Valheim seizing control of the four kingdoms, couldn't we reach the pinnacle by winning her over?"
"Ha, Prime Minister, it seems you haven't seen Charlotte with your own eyes yet."
"That's more the diplomat's domain. It sounds like Your Highness has met her personally."
"Indeed. I've seen her clearly with my own two eyes. We've even been linked by marriage talks, you know."
First Prince Hilneider Staron.
Aside from the king himself, he was the center of power and Staron's future heir.
"She's not someone you can win over. She's not just willful—she's utterly self-centered. Even if you put a leash on her, she'd rip it off and devour you."
"Harsh words for someone with whom marriage was once discussed."
"What can you do when we're complete opposites?"
Now twenty-three, he felt regret in many ways.
"If I'd gone to Raheln Academy myself, I could have stirred things up big time. What a shame."
"That's precisely why they set the age limit at twenty. If Your Highness and the Empire's First Prince had enrolled, the academy would have been beyond turbulent."
"I won't deny that."
Hilneider shrugged lightly.
Instead, he turned his attention elsewhere.
"Valheim's youngest is enrolling at Raheln Academy next year, right?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"He was called half-baked, but lately it seems he's shedding that label and getting around."
Hilneider's gaze drifted to a window overlooking the palace grounds.
"Valheim is such a headache in every way. They're Staron's strongest shield, but we can't wield them at will."
He said this with a slow smile.
"So, Prime Minister, how about it? Why not hand a blade to another opportunist who's been crushed under that monster named Charlotte?"
"I'm all for meeting him in person."
But the Prime Minister issued a warning.
"Your Highness, never treat a Valheim like a mere tool. They're called an abyss for a reason."
"Noted."
And so, in Staron Kingdom, a new wave of change began to stir quietly.