Chapter 142:


    Petition


    ***


    After hearing that Kraush had headed to the arena, former Divine Spear Mary Diana rushed to the arena training ground after returning from her mission.


    She was struggling to grow closer to Kraush under Sigrid’s orders.


    And now, Kraush had reportedly moved to the arena training ground with Durandal.


    There was only one reason to move with Durandal at Rahelrn Academy.


    A petition.


    ‘This is an opportunity.’


    Mary didn’t know what Kraush was thinking, but his opponent was Durandal.No matter how much Kraush had grown, Mary believed that submitting a petition was beyond his means.


    ‘If he fails, I’ll step in and submit his petition in his ce.’


    Recently, Mary had been solely focused on training.


    After her regression, she had wasted most of her time searching for Arthur and thennguishing in prison.


    There simply wasn’t time for training.


    But after enrolling in the Academy, Mary had fullymitted to her training mode.


    Originally, she possessed the talent and skill to be called the Divine Spear.


    Her natural Heavenly Martial Body quickly absorbed the memories from her past life.


    It was to the extent that, during her recent mission, she continued her training resolutely despite the pressure of being under the watchful eyes of the Lion Order led by Charlotte.


    As a result, Mary had made tremendous progress in just a few days.


    ‘Now…’


    She could extend a favor to Kraush and build a close rtionship with him.


    Mary hadn’t liked Kraush very much initially because he constantly criticized her and restrained her actions.


    But that didn’t matter anymore.


    Her rtionship with Kraush had essentially reset after her regression.


    Now, she spent all day thinking about how to get closer to Kraush.


    about Arthur.


    By the time she entered the arena training ground, though…


    “Why is it so hot?”


    She felt a heat so intense that she had to remove the jacket of her uniform.


    As a result, the eyes of the children who were watching the arena turned toward her chest.


    It was then, as she was fanning herself and entering the stands, that she saw it.


    A ck me, soaring so high it seemed to touch the sky.


    At the center of that ck me stood Kraush.


    But as soon as sheid eyes on Kraush, her expression faltered.


    ‘How… how?’


    The aura emanating from Kraush was so overwhelming that it momentarily stole her breath.


    Whatever he had done, the sheer intensity of it was enough to make her hesitate just by witnessing it from this distance.


    Mary realized something instantly upon seeing Kraush.


    That with her current level, she was no match for him.


    ‘I thought it would be enough…’


    Of course, it hadn’t been long since she had started her training seriously.


    She was just taking her first steps.


    But even those first steps couldn’t be taken overnight.


    It would take at least three years for her to fully regain her strength.


    In fact, she had nned to recover her full power during her time at Rahelrn Academy.


    But seeing Kraush shattered those thoughts.


    ‘No.’


    Suchcent thinking wouldn’t work.


    The task Sigrid had given her, to surpass him, couldn’t be achieved in three years.


    ‘I need to get stronger right away.’


    Seeing Kraush today made Mary realize something for certain.


    He would only continue to grow stronger.


    Without stopping, he would keep advancing.


    Mary bit her lip.


    For some reason, her legs felt like they were going to give out.


    Could she really be stronger faster than someone who would continuously get stronger?


    After going through so much recently and having her self-esteem shattered, she now doubted even her abilities.


    Anxiety began to gnaw at her bit by bit.


    If she lost even the one advantage she had…


    Would Sigrid abandon her?


    And in the end, would Arthur as well?


    “Ah… huff.”


    Her eyes welled up with tears as she bit her lip.


    She was scared.


    Terrified.


    The thought of being left all alone, abandoned, caused intense fear and anxiety.


    Without realizing it, she began biting her nails.


    ‘Stronger, stronger, stronger.’


    So she wouldn’t be abandoned.


    ‘And I have to surpass Kraush.’


    Mary’s jet-ck eyes were now fixed solely on Kraush.


    The determination to surpass him burned fiercely in her heart.


    Arid’s heart.


    ***


    Whoosh—


    In front of the roaring ck me.


    Durandal, facing Kraush, had his eyes tightly narrowed.


    He had fully grasped Kraush’s power.


    The ck me was so intense that even Durandal could feel the heat.


    However, that wasn’t what was bothering Durandal.


    “I thought he was a gem.”


    This was a situation where the raw gem was melting its own value under extreme heat.


    He felt a sense of pity.


    And at the same time, many thoughts crossed his mind.


    The power emanating from Kraush’s body was clearly simr to a curse.


    For a moment, it felt like World Erosion, but the power itself seemed to be a skill.


    Of course, that made sense.


    It was Ignis burning the power of World Erosion obtained through Extreme Blood Poison.


    ‘I don’t know what method he used to obtain such power, but…’


    In this state, both his body and mind would undoubtedly be destroyed.


    Durandal, who had crossed many death lines to reach this point, had seen many people like Kraush.


    And the fate of those who did not care for their bodies was never good.


    “That’s why I founded this Academy.”


    Durandal cracked his knuckles lightly.


    “I thought it was necessary to teach young people how to take care of themselves.”


    This reminded him of an old friend.


    Someone who, like Kraush, didn’t care for their body, burning themselves out and even preventing a forbidden event.


    “Come on.”


    Durandal thought back to that time.


    He had resolved to make the younger generation stronger so that no one like that would ever emerge again.


    So he had no intention of letting Kraush be a star that would burn out like that.


    The moment he confidently called Kraush forward.


    For some reason, Kraush just stood there silently, gripping Rain Thunder Prime.


    As Durandal felt puzzled by Kraush’sck of response…


    His gaze fell on Rain Thunder Prime.


    The sword, quietly gripped and wrapped in ck mes.


    Durandal’s eye caught the electricity flowing through the de.


    His thick eyebrows twitched.


    The power radiating from Kraush’s body was so intense that he hadn’t noticed it earlier.


    “Haha.”


    Durandal let out a dryugh.


    Kraush was focusing all the uncontroble power into one ce.


    That ce was none other than Rain Thunder Prime.


    He was concentrating so intensely that he couldn’t even hear Durandal’s words.


    In that searing heat, his body must have been burning as well.


    His focus was astonishingly intense.


    Cunningly, Kraush knew Durandal wouldn’t attack first, so he made this bold move.


    What on earth was driving him to be so strong?


    Durandal wondered as he exhaled a deep breath.


    Then, his aura began to rise.


    A young student was concentrating so intensely just to show his full power.


    So, it was the teacher’s duty to fully receive it.


    Durandal’s aura flowed calmly.


    He was called the Fighting Emperor, but more than anyone, he fought in the quiet.


    Disaster Dragon Fall [災龍落].


    Gray ash began to settle on Durandal’s arms.


    At the same time, his body began to swell even more.


    Now, he seemed to be asrge as a giant.


    The presence of the Fighting Emperor had grown far more imposing than before.


    This was his way of sincerely epting Kraush’s strike.


    At the same time, a fire began to ignite within him.


    Skill: Grit.


    The skill to raise one’s fighting spirit was, in a way, nothing special.


    But it had a significant advantage.


    It was its unwavering mental fortitude.


    Once the fighting spirit was raised, it would never extinguish, no matter what.


    That unyielding determination could sometimes possess a strength beyond imagination.


    And it was also the skill that Kraush currently coveted the most.


    Given the murderous intent of the Heavenly ughter Star and the manic power of Extreme Blood Poison, Grit would allow him to endure even that.


    ‘Not yet.’


    Durandal’s skill wasn’t something Kraush could steal right now.


    So Kraush decided to focus solely on the present moment.


    The immense auras collided with each other.


    And in front of Durandal, Kraush was testing his limits.


    This was the first time he was seriously using Nox.


    Perhaps that’s why Kraush felt as though he was drifting within a pitch-ck night.


    Right now, he was a lone me floating in the night.


    A me that would never go out, continuously burning.


    And the more Kraush’s spirit heightened, the more that me grew.


    Finally, when the me grewrge enough to engulf the night itself…


    Kraush condensed that me, which had devoured the night, into Rain Thunder Prime.


    Within the scabbard of the de.


    The ck me, which had swallowed the night, pulsed.


    As ifpressing everything he had learned so far into one point.


    The surging power grew stronger and stronger until it became difficult to bear its weight.


    Thud—


    Droplets of cold sweat began to roll down Kraush’s forehead.


    The red smoke escaping from his mouth revealed just how much he was pushing himself.


    But Kraush suppressed the power within the scabbard of the de, over and over again.


    Thud—


    To pour it all out in a single strike.


    To fully convince Durandal.


    Kraush gathered the best of his strength, the peak of what he could achieve today.


    Thud—


    And when the deep crimson moon inside Kraush was engulfed by the ck me within him.


    Crack!


    Wied in the world.


    Annihtion Erosion [滅火浸蝕].


    Fifth Style [五式].


    Annihtion Sky Moon Fire [滅天月火].


    A ck me storm erupted from the night, sweeping across the arena.


    Everyone who witnessed the ck me storm couldn’t help but gape in astonishment.


    Its power was so intense that it reached the stands of the arena.


    The stands of the arena were protected by special defensive magic.


    This defensive magic was in ce in case of attacks from the training ground.


    However, the defensive magic was fiercely shaken simply because it was within the range of Kraush’s ck me.


    Crack, crack, crack—


    But that wasn’t all.


    The defensive magic, ced by a renowned mage, couldn’t withstand the force and began to crack.


    The children within Kraush’s attack range shuddered as they saw the cracks, as if the defensive magic was about to shatter.


    They shuddered at the thought that if it had broken, they might have been swept away by that ck me.


    “Is that kind of attack even possible?”


    “He’s 15, right? That kind of output isn’t something a student should be capable of.”


    The children murmured with dazed expressions.


    That was how deeply Kraush’s strike had imprinted itself in their minds.


    Inside the scorching ck me.


    Durandal stood tall.


    As if he had been struck by a high-level spell.


    For the first time in a long while, he felt his skin burn.


    The sh Kraush had shown far exceeded the output one could achieve with a sword.


    How on earth had he managed to focus such power into one point?


    Durandal looked at his burnt arm through his torn clothes.


    Indeed, it had been quite a while since his retirement.


    His arm ached with a dull throbbing pain.


    ‘I never thought I’d be this shocked by a student.’


    Even the swordsmanship-prodigy Charlotte didn’t have this level of output.


    Her swordsmanship was so impressive that the word genius didn’t do her justice.


    But when it came to raw output, Kraush was overwhelmingly superior.


    And Durandal believed such output wasn’t meant to be used against people.


    It was meant for fighting the monstrous creatures within the forbidden zones of World Erosion.


    Creatures of 10-star level and above that could withstand even high-output magic.


    Kraush’s strike was clearly designed to fight such Erosion Species.


    Therefore, the direction of the sword pursued by Kraush and Charlotte was entirely different.


    It was fascinating to see how the siblings could take such vastly different paths in swordsmanship.


    ‘What a situation.’


    Durandal let out a bitter smile.


    For Kraush to pour all his energy into wielding something like that.


    And seeing him like this only made Durandal want to help him grow even more.


    ‘I’ll make him shine even brighter before the gem loses its luster.’


    With that thought, Durandal began moving forward through the ck me.


    The ck me was slowly fading.


    Given the amount of output, Kraush had probably copsed just as he had said.


    Durandal nned to take him straight to the infirmary.


    Whoosh!


    At that moment, a sword shot through the ck me.


    As Durandal deflected the sword with his hand, he realized it was Rain Thunder Prime.


    Durandal’s eyes widened in surprise.


    Could he still move even after releasing that much power?


    m!


    Before he knew it, Kraush, who had emerged from the ck me, was thrusting both hands forward.


    Kraush was in a pitiable state.


    Having used Annihtion Heavenly Asura, his entire body was battered and bruised.


    But as if to prove that even this couldn’t break his spirit, Kraush gathered his remaining strength and thrust his hands toward Durandal.


    At that moment, ck Hood activated in Kraush’s hand.


    With his grip on Rain Thunder Prime, which had shot up into the sky, a golden de emerged and touched Durandal.


    Snap!


    However, the power within Rain Thunder Prime was iplete.


    When the de touched Durandal’s side, it didn’t even leave a scratch and broke.


    And at that moment, Kraush’s consciousness finally slipped away.


    He had squeezed out thest of his aura to draw the de from Rain Thunder Prime, so it was an inevitable oue.


    Durandal caught Kraush’s body before he could copse to the ground.


    “…I was mistaken.”


    Durandal corrected his earlierparison of Kraush to his formerrade.


    “This kid is an even greater monster.”


    It was a moment where he chuckled, realizing he had never met someone as tenacious as this in his entire life.


    End of Chapter