TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 151
In the forest of the Snow Mountain.
Four figures, including Kraush, were running forward.
“…Boy, so you’re saying the one who unfolded the yellow sky is that Mad Blade Emperor? And the one who severely injured the Poison King is also the Mad Blade Emperor?”
“Yes, according to Number 8, that’s correct.”
As they ran, Kraush briefly explained the situation to Sena.
The source of the explanation was attributed to Number 8 for now.
Fortunately, Number 8 played along and matched the story.
Since she already knew about the Crimson Garden, she assumed Kraush had obtained the information through them.
“Do you know anything about the Mad Blade Emperor?”
When Kraush asked Sena, she roughly ran her hand through her hair.
“Roughly, yeah. You know I’m also from the Empire, right?”
“Yes, I heard Sizelry needed your company when she was granted permission to participate as a princess.”
“That’s right, just as you said. On top of that, our family has ties to Ragren. So during the Ragren incident, we cooperated with the Poison King to investigate the World Erosion Being that caused the yellow sky.”
As she spoke, she glanced toward Haring.
She was worried about Haring hearing this story.
Kraush also turned to look at Haring.
“You okay?”
But Haring’s expression remained unchanged from before.
She was interested in the story but didn’t seem to be on the verge of losing control as she had earlier.
“I’m fine. Because Kraush is here.”
Haring’s gaze toward Kraush now carried even stronger trust than before.
With Kraush around, she could remain stable even under the yellow sky.
Kraush served as a stabilizer in Haring’s unstable heart.
The only bandage that could cover the scar engraved within her.
That was Kraush.
“Hmm, the boy’s got some nerve.”
Even in this situation, Sena carried a mischievous smile.
“Please, continue the story.”
When Kraush gave her a look, Sena shrugged her shoulders and resumed speaking.
“Anyway, what we found out was that the Mad Blade Emperor—the World Erosion Being responsible for the Ragren incident—completely vanished. Whether it sank into the ground or soared into the sky, no trace of it could be found.”
World Erosion Beings are inherently difficult to locate, as many of them traverse even Forbidden Zones freely.
Yet, even with the Poison King and the Ghost Hand pursuing it directly, they couldn’t find it. That left only one explanation.
‘The Black Witch must have taken it.’
The Black Witch, who had her own unique dimension, could move freely anywhere in the world.
It was clear that she had taken the Mad Blade Emperor into her dimension.
“The issue lies with one book believed to have been stolen by the Mad Blade Emperor: the Poison Blood Tome.”
A book known as the treasure of the Ragren Family, the Poison Blood Tome.
It was said to contain extensive knowledge about poisons, including the so-called Intangible Ultimate Poison, the pinnacle of all toxins.
“The problem is, it reappeared in an Underworld trade.”
“That’s…”
“Of course, it could be that the Mad Blade Emperor handed it over to the Underworld, but the circumstances seemed suspicious. It felt like it passed through human hands rather than a World Erosion Being’s.”
Sena furrowed her brow as if sensing unease.
“The Ragren incident might not involve just the World Erosion Being.”
Sena glanced at Haring.
Naturally, Haring’s face was also stiff.
She had grown alongside her desire for revenge against the World Erosion Beings.
Now, hearing that another figure might also be involved complicated her thoughts.
“In any case, the Poison King has been personally pursuing the Mad Blade Emperor ever since. And of course, the Imperial Palace isn’t unaware of this.”
Kraush understood why Sena brought this up.
“…No matter how it’s the Imperial Palace, knowing the Poison King’s circumstances and still making the Mad Blade Emperor the leader of the Night Crow Unit seems odd.”
“Exactly. That’s why I mentioned it. While it’s true that the Poison King was tasked with chasing the Night Crow Unit’s leader, it’s still suspicious, especially with the Ragren side staying silent. Given the circumstances, it might have been better to tie both together.”
“Are you saying the Royal Family has a reason to keep the Mad Blade Emperor from being captured?”
Sena’s expression turned displeased.
“If it’s just speculation, that would be for the best.”
Speculation.
It would be best if it were mere speculation. But for Kraush, who knew part of the Royal Family’s secret, it couldn’t simply be dismissed as such.
Because Hardenhartz was exterminated due to the 2nd Prince, who revealed that secret.
‘So, it’s all been tangled up since long ago. That’s what you’re saying.’
Kraush clicked his tongue and raised his head.
“Then it’s simple.”
Black flames surged once from Kraush’s body.
“We just have to capture the Mad Blade Emperor.”
Faced with such a straightforward answer, Sena momentarily looked stunned.
Yet even so, she couldn’t deny that Kraush’s words were the solution.
“Are you confident?”
“Confidence alone doesn’t solve everything in life.”
But Kraush’s eyes were brimming with firm resolve.
“That said, doing nothing won’t solve anything either, will it?”
In short, he was saying he would face it head-on.
“You’re reckless.”
Even as she said this, Sena didn’t seem inclined to oppose him.
She herself preferred stepping forward rather than just watching from the sidelines.
“I might get along with this boy.”
“Do you prefer recklessness?”
“I can’t stand doing nothing.”
Her laughter echoed when—
Boom!
In the distance, beyond the mountains, a flock of birds took flight as a deafening noise reverberated.
Even though it was quite far away, the shaking ground made the four of them exchange glances.
“This vibration…”
“It’s Rai’s doing.”
When Kraush clicked his tongue, Sena immediately caught on.
“Rai, as in the Sword King?”
Haring turned her astonished face toward the mountains.
If the recent shockwave had been caused by the Sword King, they all knew who he must be fighting right now.
“…Boy, didn’t you say that the Mad Blade Emperor’s World Erosion grows stronger the more he fights powerful opponents?”
“…Yes.”
Sena asked, her face uneasy as she looked up at the sky.
When Kraush answered honestly, she adjusted her glasses, which had blackened lenses.
“Then if Rai and the Mad Blade Emperor clash, what level would it reach?”
Kraush was silent for a moment.
Boom!
Another explosion rang out.
This time, it was a thunderous roar strong enough to collapse the mountain.
The numbing energy from beyond the mountain was palpable.
“…At least an 8-star level. It might go even higher.”
An 8-star level World Erosion.
At minimum, it would mean the World Erosion’s owner was at Agares’ level.
Haring’s face turned pale.
She had recently faced Decarabia herself.
Even the incomplete 7th Rank Decarabia was only barely defeated after exhausting every ounce of strength.
Yet now, an 8th Rank World Erosion?
It was not something they could handle.
“Ha, this is just…”
Even Sena’s expression turned grim.
After all, if it’s 8th Rank, Hardenhartz would be reduced to ruins in no time.
Currently, Hardenhartz housed both the Empire’s 4th Princess and Starlon’s 1st Prince.
If even one of them were harmed, and blame was shifted, it could escalate into war immediately.
If they had known things would turn out this way, they would have never allowed both to come here.
But no one had anticipated it would come to this.
The reason being, it was the Empire itself that had concealed the existence of the Mad Blade Emperor.
“We need to move faster. Let’s push ourselves a bit more.”
Sena’s eyes narrowed as she increased their speed even further.
A troubling thought crossed her mind—could the Empire have been subtly aiming for this outcome?
The Mad Blade Emperor, the Poison Blood Tome, and other suspicious developments in the war were too numerous to ignore.
‘What exactly is the Royal Family hoping to achieve?’
Sena didn’t have deep knowledge of the Empire’s internal affairs.
After all, she had left her position as the Patriarch of the Myer family behind without hesitation.
She despised being tied down anywhere, so it was a natural decision for her.
She bit her lip, chasing an elusive sensation she couldn’t quite grasp.
This is why she detested anything related to politics.
She couldn’t pinpoint what the Empire stood to gain from this incident, especially with the 4th Princess present—it seemed too reckless.
‘Thinking isn’t exactly my strong suit.’
She was the type to rely on force, not on intellect.
At that moment—
Sena’s heightened senses abruptly caught hold of something.
Her eyes narrowed instinctively.
A few seconds later, Kraush’s eyes narrowed as well.
Sena was genuinely surprised by what she saw.
She had long since noticed that Kraush possessed a similar heightened sense as hers.
In the heat of battle, where even a few seconds’ delay could mean death, Sena’s heightened senses and Kraush’s Sixth Sense made a significant difference.
However, she was a seasoned expert, invited as a professor at Rahelrn Academy, even earning a nickname.
Naturally, her years of experience and training far exceeded Kraush’s.
In contrast, Kraush was only 15 years old.
Moreover, Kraush leaned more toward martial prowess than sensory detection.
And yet, Kraush had detected the presence as swiftly as Sena.
‘Rai was an absurd monster, and young Charlotte was clearly a genius.’
Even the youngest, Kraush, was no ordinary individual.
‘His judgment and courage, unbefitting of a 15-year-old, felt unusual—but when compared to the other two, maybe it’s not so strange after all.’
Perhaps this was simply the Balheim lineage at work.
In other families, producing even one genius would be enough to immortalize their name.
Yet, in a single generation, Balheim had birthed so many extraordinary talents—it was truly remarkable.
‘They really are a monstrous family.’
Looking at it this way, perhaps this generation would be the brightest era for Balheim.
No wonder the Empire kept trying to suppress Starlon.
Even a colossal entity like the Empire found Balheim’s movements intimidating.
And that fear had manifested in persistent provocations against Starlon, which held Balheim within its fold.
‘There have already been so many irksome moves within the Empire.’
With this incident added to the mix, Sena’s frown deepened.
She couldn’t shake the thought that a single misstep could ignite a war between Starlon and the Empire.
That vague sense of unease crept into her mind.
And as her thoughts reached that point—
‘…Wait a minute. Could it be?’
Sena instinctively turned to look at Kraush.
“Professor Sena Myer, you felt it too, didn’t you?”
Though that wasn’t why she had turned, Sena nodded nonetheless.
Then, with an enigmatic gaze, she stared at Kraush.
Suddenly, it all started to come together—the Lion Order led by Charlotte,
the inclusion of Haring, with her royal title,
and even the direct involvement of Starlon’s royal family in assigning this mission.
She realized everything was tied to one person.
‘Could it really be?’
Could this boy have foreseen that this incident might spark a war between the Empire and Starlon, and acted to prevent it?
A mere 15-year-old boy?
Even if he was the youngest of Balheim, was such a feat even possible?
‘This isn’t something achievable with force alone. Strategy, politics, connections—miss even one, and it all collapses.’
Yet Kraush was accomplishing it.
As though he could read the flow of the entire world.
A chill ran down Sena’s spine—
an involuntary shiver at the thought.
She had already considered Rai and Charlotte to be extraordinary products of Balheim.
But now, she realized the true marvel wasn’t those two.
They were bright, shining stars,
stars visible to everyone.
But lurking in the unseen shadows, slowly steering the tides of a vast current, was none other than a boy barely on the cusp of adulthood.
‘They said Balheim was a Den of Evil.’
And now, it had produced the real deal.
Sena decided to reevaluate Kraush entirely.
For some reason, a vision began to form in her mind—
of a distant future where Kraush led the world’s most prominent figures, blazing a path at the forefront.
‘Such an eerie premonition.’
She, who occasionally glimpsed fragments of the future, shook her head to dispel the thought.
That future could only exist if the present progressed accordingly.
For now, resolving the immediate crisis took precedence.
“Kraush, wasn’t the leader of the Night Ravens an ally?”
As her words fell, Kraush lifted his head.
Beyond the mountain they needed to cross—
tens of thousands of skeletal monsters covered the slope, descending toward them.
“Isn’t this a bit excessive for a welcome party?”
She spoke with a slightly exasperated expression as Kraush drew the Rain Thunder Prime.
“Well, they do like me quite a bit.”
“Guess I’ll have to repay their affection with some discipline.”