Chapter 89
Chapter 89
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: Caught
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Krash Valheim shot through the Black Forest like a bolt.
The rainwater streaming down from the trees evaporated the instant it touched his body.
The intense black downpour couldn't even maintain its form around him.
Before long, Crimson Garden soared leisurely high above.
In stark contrast to its relaxed gliding, the pitch-black thunderclouds gathering beyond the forest brimmed with ominous energy.
It was the moment Crimson Garden conveyed its intent.
Crackle!
A sharp crackle of lightning echoed briefly, and Krash halted.
Boom!
In that instant, a bolt of lightning crashed down from the thunderclouds right at Krash's feet.
His eyes quietly blazed amid the blinding flash that lit up the area.
"Harpas."
The moment Krash uttered the name, another bolt poured from the thunderclouds.
But without a hint of hesitation, he drew Thunderclap.
The instant the aura surged into Thunderclap, forming the blade, he thrust it toward the lightning.
Crack-boom!
The explosive roar from Krash's Thunderclap split the black lightning streak.
It was Lioner within Krash clashing with the power of World Erosion.
Having cleaved the bolt, Krash exhaled a thin wisp of smoke from his mouth.
With the heat bursting from within, he lowered his stance.
Crunch!
The ground warped in that moment, and Krash's muscles coiled like springs.
Bang!
Finally, he kicked off the earth and rocketed skyward.
As he soared, he locked eyes on the thunderclouds forming another bolt and steadied himself midair.
"How long do you plan to hide in those thunderclouds?"
Lightning coated the blade of Thunderclap like a sheath.
Then, the moment Krash infused Annihilating Flame Erosion into the sheath, pushing its power to the max,
Crackle!
The shattered Lioner sheath unleashed Krash's sword straight down at the thunderclouds.
Crack-boom!
The delayed bolt collided with the Black Flame storm, devouring it and shredding the thunderclouds.
Was it because he'd been absorbing World Erosion nonstop since entering the Witch Realm?
Krash let out an admiring gasp at the Black Flame's far greater power than before.
At the same time, an equal amount of World Erosion power refilled his body instantly.
As long as his body could endure, Krash effectively had an infinite supply of World Erosion power.
No wonder he felt an unprecedented vitality surging through him.
He'd come here knowing this, ready for an all-out fight with Harpas.
But this exceeded his expectations.
Even so, deep in his mind, a crimson, blood-like energy roiled uncontrollably.
'Mania.'
The stronger the World Erosion power grew, the more the mania stealthily crept into his head.
A fierce impulse and murderous urge welled up alongside it.
"Hoo."
Krash exhaled hot breath as he plummeted through the torn thunderclouds.
It made him realize anew why Demaris Valheim, creator of Extreme Blood Poison Infusion, had gone mad.
The mental corruption from mania was severe.
The moment his focus slipped, a bloodthirsty frenzy to slaughter everything around him surged through his body.
'Eye Doll.'
So before the mania could intensify, Krash forcibly suppressed it with Eye Doll.
The raging emotions gradually subsided.
For now, Eye Doll could keep it fully in check.
But he could definitely feel it.
'I need to acquire Heavenly Killing Star.'
Without strengthening Eye Doll further with Heavenly Killing Star, he'd eventually be devoured by the mania.
"Perfect."
He'd also tested how much World Erosion he could wield inside the Forbidden Zone.
And roughly grasped his limits.
Feeling satisfied with the results, Krash looked up.
A black bird-like monster emerged from the shredded thunderclouds.
A colossal humanoid body with a head evoking a black bird.
Wings even larger than its frame.
And legs ending in talons sharp as a bird of prey.
This was Harpas, ruler of the eastern sector.
A Rank 6 Erosion Beast.
It would take a knight order led by a mid-Master knight captain on average to hunt it.
Krash had just stepped into peak Expert.
Naturally, Harpas was an opponent he couldn't possibly beat.
But matchups existed everywhere.
Inside World Erosion, Krash had infinite access to its power as long as his body held out.
Plus, he'd stubbornly mastered forbidden arts that let him exceed his limits.
What did that mean?
Simple.
Krash Valheim was optimized for fighting World Erosion Beasts.
His goal wasn't to crush people and claim supremacy.
It was to stop the annihilation beginning with World Erosion.
Rumble!
The moment Krash landed, Harpas spread its wings.
They were so vast that the sky seemed to turn to night in an instant.
That was when it happened.
Black feathers began raining from its wings.
The pouring black rain made the feathers hard to see.
But not for Krash.
Crackle!
Activated Lightning Sense detected every feather amid the black rain.
Black Flame flames roared atop Thunderclap, and Krash's sword moved.
Clang-clang-clang-clang-clang-clang-clang!
Endless sword cries rang out as Black Flame flickered.
Nearly precognitive, Krash's blade cleaved every feather.
Countless severed feathers stabbed into the ground.
Everywhere but where Krash stood resembled a field of black grass.
Not a single feather pierced where he stood.
"Kreeeeek!"
Harpas let out an irritated screech and circled the sky once.
Harpas's target was Nisrok.
Normally, it could've ignored Krash and flown past.
But with Krash there, it couldn't tear its eyes away.
Krash, absorbing World Erosion power in real time and growing stronger, was prey it couldn't pass up.
How much more could it grow by devouring him?
With that thought, Harpas fixated on Krash.
It was the supplementary effect of Extreme Blood Poison Infusion, optimized for smoothly hunting Erosion Beasts.
And it led straight to action.
Abandoning the feather barrage, it spun rapidly in the air.
Lightning poured from its body, enveloping Harpas.
Its feathers bristled like a porcupine's quills, sharpening into blades.
Crackle, crackle-crackle!
In that instant, Harpas changed trajectory.
It dove downward, vanishing into the Black Forest in a blink.
The forest fell silent.
Only rain pattered in Krash's ears, no insect chirps.
It had been so noisy with the feather storm moments ago.
The quiet felt alienating.
Pour...
Black trees swayed slowly in the wind accompanying the downpour.
The sight evoked a swarm of pitch-black ghosts, eerie and foreboding.
Krash's ears twitched faintly—the only spot untouched by feathers.
Slash!
Harpas appeared.
Wings folded, feathers edged like blades, it spun toward Krash.
Krash's sword followed Lightning Sense.
Clang! Crackle!
Their collision erupted in fierce sparks.
Krash staggered back two steps from the impact.
Meanwhile, Harpas vanished into the forest again.
Fast.
Lightning Sense barely kept up.
And even with Annihilating Flame Erosion, the shock forced Krash back.
Plus, it was clever.
It exploited terrain advantages, striking only from favorable positions.
This was the technique of Harpas, eastern dominator.
Past hunters had met their end here.
Krash exhaled quietly amid the swaying Black Forest.
The Annihilating Flame Erosion tempered within him burned ever fiercer.
Harpas was definitely faster than Krash.
So he needed just one opening.
One gap to shatter it.
Sixth Sense delved deeper into his surroundings than ever.
He barely sensed Harpas weaving near-sonic through the trees beyond.
Even at that speed, it avoided every collision.
Incredible flight control.
And it was accelerating.
As if determined to end it in one blow.
It sped up to shake off Krash's Sixth Sense.
And as that high-speed flight reached its peak,
Krash's back foot slid rearward.
Snap!
He whipped his head back, hearing bushes rustle.
With the sound came a single black feather-blade.
Snap!
Almost simultaneously, Harpas revealed itself—from the opposite direction Krash had turned.
It had flung the feather from cover with hyper-speed movement,
then looped around to strike.
Speed transcending sound.
Harpas sensed victory.
If Krash dodged the feather, its wings would shred him.
If he blocked, the feather would impale him.
The former ended it instantly.
The latter just prolonged killing the wounded prey.
Either way, a fatal blow.
As Harpas uttered a grotesque, avian cackle,
'Annihilating Flame Erosion.'
Krash's left hand—swordless—shot backward.
His torso spun toward Harpas in a flash.
He'd chosen the latter, as Harpas predicted.
Activated Annihilating Flame Erosion's second stage shattered his body's limits, surging far beyond normal speed.
Barely, Krash turned toward Harpas.
'One second.'
For a brief moment.
In his accelerated cognition, time seemed frozen.
Amid soaring Black Flame, Thunderclap's golden edge gleamed.
Even Harpas, breaking sonic, felt slow to Krash.
His hyper-accelerated mind directed his body; the sword thrust in sync.
Stab!
The blade lanced toward Harpas's throat.
Too fast for Harpas to react, it pierced between feathers without resistance.
As throat flesh tore, Harpas's pupils dilated hugely.
It realized it couldn't track Krash at all.
But it wasn't a mere Erosion Beast for nothing.
Mid-decapitation, it unfurled its right wing.
Intending to rip Krash before losing its head.
Splat!
But something struck its wing base before it extended fully.
Harpas's wing crumpled, failing to reach Krash.
Horror filled Harpas's eyes.
Embedded in its wing base was the feather it'd flung at Krash.
In that split second, Krash had snatched it with Black Hood and jammed it back.
Clang!
The one-second instant passed.
Something severed with a sound, and Harpas's headless body pierced rain and splintered trees.
Boom!
So fast had it flown that it sailed far before stopping, even decapitated.
Its head rolled to the ground belatedly.
Its eyes brimmed with disbelief at dying here.
"Knew it."
Krash drove Thunderclap into the head for the kill.
Snap!
The Rank 6 eastern ruler fell to a single boy.
Having finished Harpas, Krash exhaled shortly, heat lingering.
Annihilating Flame Erosion's backlash hit briefly,
but the Witch Realm's nature refilled him swiftly.
'In the Forbidden Zone, I won't lose to anyone.'
Confidence swelled.
Krash, who must face World Erosion at its worst,
found Annihilating Flame Erosion the ultimate counter.
'I can stop it.'
As conviction hardened and he clenched his fists,
Too focused on Harpas,
Rustle.
He belatedly sensed an approacher.
"Krash?"
A surprised voice rang out.
Krash turned.
There stood hair like his original color, drifting softly.
Lilysh Valheim.
His sister stared wide-eyed at the scene.
'That Lebluang bastard.'
Had he told Lilysh amid the chaos?
Even so, Krash hadn't expected her—facing Nisrok—to come straight here.
Krash grimaced awkwardly.
How to explain this?
The halfwit called a cripple soloing a Rank 6 Erosion Beast.
But his dilemma didn't last.
Lilysh's next words froze him solid.
"How do you have Ignis...?"
Charlotte, the head butler, everyone.
Belokin's 'Ignis,' fused with World Erosion into Black Flame—no one should've recognized it.
Yet Lilysh had.