TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 118
The time given is only 10 seconds.
Once 10 seconds pass, the Heavenly Slaughter Star and Frenzy will no longer remain in a stalemate but will immediately go berserk.
Knowing this all too well, Kraush’s body moved faster than anyone else could.
Bang!
The sound filled the space belatedly, stirring up a cloud of dust.
When Kraush, who had vanished in an instant, reached the proximity of the Night God—
The glowing eyes within the skull belatedly turned toward him.
Clatter!
But it was already too late to react.
Kraush’s crimson blade was already piercing through the Night God’s barrier.
Fast.
Kraush was absurdly fast, to the point where even a god couldn’t track his movements.
Unless it was the true form of the Night God—
The power residing in the crystal skull was barely 5% at most.
Thus, it was impossible to keep up with Kraush, who had activated Annihilation Asura.
Bang!
With the impact of the collision, the Night God was once again sent flying into the air.
But this time, it didn’t end there.
Kraush moved even faster than the flying Night God and reached the spot where he would land.
Kraush’s foot extended toward the Night God.
Thud!
With the stomping foot, a deafening roar resounded.
Kraush stopped the Night God mid-flight, barrier and all.
Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!
What followed immediately was the deafening sound of a blade striking down like a madman.
In mere moments, Kraush struck the Night God’s barrier dozens of times.
Each time Kraush struck, black flames erupted, shrouding the barrier in darkness.
Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!
Pitch-black in front.
The metallic sound echoing within the sealed barrier was maddening.
Even the Night God himself felt a chilling unease.
What kind of lunatic would strike down on a barrier so brutishly, trying to break through?
The Night God was appalled by Kraush’s madness.
[A mere grave robber!]
Overcome with rage, the Night God stretched out his hand, and at that moment, black thorns spread out from the barrier in all directions.
Kraush, who was pressing down on the barrier with his foot while striking with his blade—
If he didn’t dodge, he would be impaled on the spot.
Conversely, if he dodged, the Night God intended to blend into the night, making himself untouchable before escaping.
Having realized that Kraush would collapse from exhaustion if only time was bought, the Night God saw his chance.
Clang!
But once again, what returned was the sound of the blade.
The Night God was bewildered.
He had clearly unleashed the thorns, so why was the response another strike?
Clang, clang-clang!
Amidst the obscured vision caused by the black flames, the relentless strikes continued.
The black flame, made of World Erosion and Ignis, even disturbed the vision of a god.
Thus, the Night God, unable to discern what Kraush was doing atop the barrier, extended his hand once more at that moment.
Crack!
At that instant, a sound echoed as a crack appeared in the barrier, unable to withstand the relentless impacts.
The glowing eyes within the skull wavered.
This was a barrier crafted with divine power.
To think it was being shattered through sheer force and repetition.
Was such a thing even possible?
As much as he wanted to deny it, this was the reality before him.
Kraush was exuding an incomprehensible level of power.
Clang!
At that moment, a blade emerged from within the black flame, finally tearing through the barrier and plunging inside.
A fraction of a second before the crimson blade stopped just short of his face—
Amidst the erupting sparks, Kraush’s face finally came into view again.
Over eyes dyed blood-red reminiscent of Asura, dark blue hair fluttered.
The Night God realized.
Kraush hadn’t dodged the thorns as he had expected.
His left leg was impaled by the thorns.
Rather, it seemed as though he welcomed the stability it provided.
In that very posture, he continued to strike with his blade.
As the blood dripping from his leg touched the barrier, a sizzling sound rang out.
The sound vividly conveyed just how scorching hot his body was.
Kraush paid no heed to his pierced leg.
Focused solely on shattering the barrier within 10 seconds.
He struck down with his blade like a man possessed.
It could only be called madness.
A madness that far surpassed the tenacity a human could muster.
An all-out assault that ignored even his own body’s limits.
The Night God felt dumbfounded.
Sure, he had attacked him for being a grave robber.
But if he went this far, even if he survived, he’d hardly be intact.
Wouldn’t that defeat the entire purpose?
[Even if you survive by doing something so reckless, your life will burn out completely.]
When the Night God, baffled, voiced his question, Kraush wasn’t even listening.
Kraush, who had at some point raised his blade high above his head, was quietly exhaling smoke.
‘Two seconds left.’
Thunder energy gathered around his blade, forming the shape of a scabbard.
Simultaneously, within that scabbard, the black flame clashed against itself, creating a storm.
A single downward strike focused entirely on one point.
When Kraush achieved the realm of Sword and Spirit Fusion for this very moment—
Crackle!
Finally, the scabbard formed by thunder energy shattered, and black flame and thunder energy surged upward.
With his crimson-dyed blade, he slashed straight down toward the cracked barrier.
Gazing blankly at the afterimage of the red blade, the Night God asked.
[Why on earth would you go to such lengths?]
With those words as his last, the blade reached the Night God.
Annihilation Erosion—
Third Form—
Sky-Thundering Annihilation.
KABOOM!
A storm of black flame and thunder energy swept through the graveyard.
The aftermath shook the entirety of the graveyard.
After the storm of black flame and thunder energy subsided—
Beneath Kraush’s scorched body, a cracked crystal skull lay rolling on the ground.
At that moment, an outstretched hand firmly grasped the crystal skull.
-Clatter-
The teeth of the crystal skull collided, producing a sound.
The owner of that hand was none other than Kraush.
“Tch.”
Kraush spat out the black blood pooling in his mouth and wiped his lips.
Then, as blood began flowing from his nose, he clicked his tongue and wiped his nose as well.
It was thanks to reactivating the Doll’s Eye within ten seconds to forcibly suppress both the Frenzy and the Heavenly Slaughter Star.
The aftermath lingered, given how close the timing had been.
Even now, Kraush was gritting his teeth, enduring the sensation of his consciousness slipping away.
His mind was hazy.
‘My whole body aches like hell.’
He had forcibly pushed his body to its limits with the Heavenly Slaughter Star and amplified the Annihilation Erosion using the Frenzy.
As a result, the aftereffects hammered into Kraush’s body relentlessly.
But if he hadn’t done so, he wouldn’t have been able to pierce the Night God’s protective barrier.
Though the power contained was far weaker than the deity’s true form, it was still divine power.
Without going to such extremes, there was no chance of even making a dent.
[You really managed to endure that.]
At that moment, the voice of Crimson Garden reached him.
“Well, if I didn’t, my mind would’ve been contaminated, turning me into a mad killer.”
[You seem desperate to shorten your lifespan.]
“I plan to rely on your immortality to fix that.”
[You wretched fool! I’m not giving you any of it!]
“Do you even have anyone else to give it to?”
Feeling somewhat absurd, Kraush pulled out a painkiller he had kept on hand and swallowed it.
Then he poured a potion directly onto his pierced leg.
Thanks to its high quality, a sizzling sound accompanied the gradual recovery of his wounded leg.
The remaining potion was also downed in one gulp.
At least, it would serve as basic emergency treatment.
‘I’ll have to visit Austria again once I get back.’
After all, that’s what healers are for in moments like these.
Feeling somewhat better thanks to the potion, Kraush turned his gaze to the crystal skull.
The night’s power imbued within it had significantly diminished compared to before.
While he could have destroyed it entirely during the Annihilation Asura, Kraush deliberately chose not to.
After all, he still had a goal in mind from the moment he entered the graveyard.
“You’ve got some energy left, right?”
Kraush called out to the Night God residing within the crystal skull.
In response, a faint glimmer returned to the skull’s eye sockets.
[Still harping on about that conversation?]
“Well, it was my original goal from the start.”
[I don’t know much about your god.]
So it begins with that conversation.
It seemed the Night God had limited Kraush’s interest to only the deity he had contracted with.
[All I know is that it’s the most reviled among gods.]
“Reviled?”
[What else would it have done with its thieving ability?]
“Are you saying it went around stealing divine powers?”
No response.
That silence was as good as confirmation.
Skills are blessings granted by gods.
In essence, skills are a form of divine power.
However, the inherent power of a god differs fundamentally from skills.
Skills are merely a fraction lent out, not the god’s power in its entirety.
The god Kraush had contracted with had gone around stealing the very essence of divine powers.
‘What a lunatic.’
If that were the case, it would certainly earn the ire of other gods.
It could end up in a worse state than even the Night God.
And yet, Kraush had always harbored a particular doubt.
Other individuals might have been born with divine contracts, so it wouldn’t concern them.
But at the moment Kraush regressed, he hadn’t yet met the god who granted the Black Hood.
‘I figured it would approach me at least once since I already wield its skill.’
For some reason, it had never shown itself, not even once.
‘What’s it up to? Or is it just as indifferent now as it was before, tossing me a skill and leaving it at that?’
Though uncertain, the Night God’s story sparked a flicker of intrigue in him.
‘Could I possibly pull that off too someday?’
If he could steal divine power, it would make preventing the world’s destruction much easier.
‘Since there’s no way to ascend to the divine realm, I’d have to forcefully manifest a god instead.’
Turning that thought over in his mind, Kraush eventually shook his head.
That was too far down the line for now.
[After all this time, there’s been no news. Has it just been granting skills to humans?]
The Night God’s tone was one of disbelief.
Watching the Night God’s reaction, Kraush waved his hand as if to say he was done.
“I was curious about that too, but if you don’t know, then forget it.”
After all, he had long realized his god wasn’t like ordinary deities.
“What I’m proposing to you is a deal.”
[You certainly do love making deals.]
He wished gods wouldn’t nitpick the most rational tools of humanity.
Still, at the mention of a deal, the glimmer in the skull’s eyes brightened.
At the same time, a clattering sound echoed as its teeth ground in amusement.
[Grave robber, what could you possibly offer me in exchange for a deal?]
“Your name.”
At that moment, the Night God’s laughter abruptly halted.
“I’ll help you reclaim your name.”
[…Don’t spout nonsense. A grave robber like you couldn’t possibly find it.]
“If I can steal divine power, why wouldn’t I be able to steal a name? Your name was stolen by one of the Name Gods, wasn’t it?”
The Night God fell silent.
Having lost its name, it had been left to slumber in this graveyard.
For a god, a name is synonymous with power.
Of course, it would naturally desire to reclaim its name.
[What do you want?]
And that thought turned out to be correct.
When the Night God asked, Kraush responded.
“Your skill, Nox.”
[You already have a skill. I cannot grant another.]
“That’s fine. Just grant it to him instead.”
Kraush pointed to Juyo, who, though charred, was still breathing faintly.
Since the Night God had resided within him, his lifespan wouldn’t be long, but he was alive for now.
Kraush was instructing the Night God to grant the skill to Juyo.
The Night God looked utterly flabbergasted.
It had realized Kraush’s intention to use the Black Hood to steal the skill granted to Juyo.
[As expected of a grave robber, your greed knows no bounds.]
“This is how you’re supposed to use the ability.”
As Kraush spoke, the Night God let out a sigh.
Then the crystal skull began to clatter and move.
[Can you guarantee that you can restore my name?]
“Since you’re just lying dormant here, isn’t it better to at least leave it to me?”
[Now that I see it, you’re not just a grave robber but a con artist.]
However, there was no reason to refuse him.
After all, there was nothing to lose regardless of the outcome.
[Place me on that guy.]
Following the Night God’s instruction, Kraush placed the crystal skull onto Juyo’s body.
As soon as he did, the crystal skull clattered, and the remnants of the night within the skull began to merge with Juyo.
Juyo didn’t need to respond to any contract to receive the skill.
Since he had already once housed the Night God within his body, he was forcibly made into the Night God’s apostle.
Thanks to that, the moment the skill seeped into Juyo’s body, Kraush activated the Black Hood.
Unaware that he had acquired the skill, Juyo was unconscious.
Without even needing a dial, the Night God’s skill, Nox, fell into Kraush’s grasp.
At that moment, Kraush felt the pitch-black night settle within his body.
As the night spread throughout his body, the Lunar Body emitted a noticeably strong negative energy.
The body, heated from activating Annihilation Asura, began to cool down significantly.
Kraush clenched his fist tightly.
Indeed, stealing Nox had been the right choice.
Moreover, Nox had an additional effect.
When the night completely descends.
Beneath that night, Kraush would become far stronger than he was now.
Nox was at its most powerful when the night was in full bloom.
With this, it would surely prove immensely useful when fighting the Moon Rabbit in the future.
“Thanks.”
[Remember our deal.]
“Of course, I said it myself, didn’t I?”
Kraush grinned and turned his body.
Then his body staggered for a moment.
Although the medicine and Nox had improved his condition, the aftereffects hadn’t completely disappeared.
[Let me ask you one thing. Where did you send that girl?]
At that moment, the Night God posed a question.
The girl he was referring to was none other than Haring.
Hearing the question, Kraush scratched the back of his head before answering.
“I told her to shatter every single holy relic you use as a graveyard and bring me just one.”
It would take time, but doing so would ensure he could thoroughly threaten the Night God.
Kraush had planned to confront the Night God from the very beginning.
If the deal succeeded, he would proceed with it.
On the other hand, if it failed, he planned to resort to threats.
[Y-You madman! Are you not afraid of punishment?!]
The Night God tried to roar in anger at Kraush for threatening a deity, but it was too late.
Kraush was already swiftly leaving the scene.
“Well then, I’ll go stop her before she smashes everything.”
[Come here right now! I’ll start by smashing your head!]
“Haha, I told you, it’s your holy relics that’ll get smashed.”
True to his nature, he didn’t let the last word go unspoken.
[What a lunatic.]
Only the quiet sound of Crimson Garden cursing on behalf of the Night God echoed faintly.