TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 152
Ebelasque Benapoch.
The world’s only Necromancer.
The corpses she commands range from those with assigned numbers—
to monstrous beings crafted from skeletons of non-human origins.
And now, filling the mountains of Hardenhartz were precisely those skeletal monsters.
The monsters, shaped in various forms starting from quadrupeds, descended the mountain, each armed with biological weapons.
This was to ensure they did not interfere with the battle between the Mad Blade Emperor and the Sword King.
“Mr. Kraush.”
As the skeletal monsters swarmed closer, Number 8 approached and spoke.
When Kraush turned to her, Number 8 spoke with a troubled expression.
“The master has ordered you not to interfere and to leave immediately.”
Interference, huh.
Kraush let out a faint scoff.
“Where’s she hiding?”
“That’s… uh…”
Number 8 hesitated, trailing off.
After all, she couldn’t defy Ebelasque’s commands, no matter what.
Thus, she couldn’t speak recklessly.
“Forget it.”
It didn’t matter if she didn’t explain.
Knowing her personality, she’d be hiding somewhere thoroughly.
[A Necromancer never reveals themselves on the battlefield. A battlefield without a Necromancer in sight is the most terrifying one.]
It was something Ebelasque used to say as if it were a catchphrase.
Finding her was his problem to solve.
“Haring, Professor Sena Myer.”
Haring and Sena were each preparing their weapons.
They had completed their preparations for battle.
“Those creatures have a core at their center.”
While the location of the core varied for each, it was undoubtedly their weak point.
To break through that horde, their weak points had to be targeted precisely.
“Hmm, this is my specialty.”
Sena drew a cleaver with one side curved dramatically.
Her red eyes gleamed as her lips stretched into a sharp grin.
“Kraush, boy, you’re planning to find the Night Ravens’ leader, right?”
“Yes, I’ll definitely find them to teach them a lesson.”
“Good. In that case, save your strength for now.”
A pure white energy began to envelop Sena’s cleaver.
At the same time, her attire began to slowly transform.
Long, white cloth wrapped around her arms.
Then, a long veil covered her face, concealing her.
Finally, white feathers sprouted from her shoulders, forming the shape of wings.
Her nickname was Ghost Hand.
She was also known by another title: God’s Priestess.
The reason was simple.
Normally, blessings from gods come in the form of skills.
However, she hadn’t made the usual contracts with the gods.
Divine Clarity.
A secret technique that granted her the raw, intrinsic power of a god, rather than just a skill.
It was a similar phenomenon to what happened recently with Juio Irma, the Erosionist, who was consumed by the Power of the Night God and became the Lion of Night.
Back then, Juio had completely lost his sanity, but she was different.
Hers was one of the few bodies in the world capable of digesting divine power.
Divine Shaman Body.
Born with such a body, she directly received the power of the gods.
And that power became directly linked to her own strength.
“Keep up with me, will you?”
Smiling beneath her veil, she leapt off the ground.
Bang!
A massive explosion echoed in her wake.
Her speed was so swift that even Kraush’s eyes struggled to follow her movements.
The spot where the incoming skeletal monsters had been gathered was left completely obliterated.
But that wasn’t the only astonishing thing.
Her cleaver strikes were nothing short of precise.
Because, within that single attack, Sena’s cleaver accurately destroyed the cores embedded in the skeletal monsters.
“Wow.”
Haring couldn’t help but gasp in admiration at the sight.
She was now fully aware of the caliber of a Rahelrn Academy professor.
“Haring, I’m going to search for Ebelasque now.”
Kraush dashed forward, not letting Sena out of his sight.
“I’ll be focusing from now on. Please, hold them off for me.”
Upon hearing Kraush’s request, Haring widened her eyes slightly.
Then, she tapped her chest lightly with her hand.
“Leave it to me. I’ll protect you without fail.”
Determined resolve gleamed in her eyes.
Haring tended to act more decisively when entrusted with a request than when moving of her own volition.
It was likely a reaction to the trauma caused by being told not to do anything long ago.
Kraush, who was perceptive in such matters, recognized this.
Each person has their own way of maximizing efficiency.
For Haring, this was the most effective approach.
“I’m counting on you.”
When Kraush smiled and spoke, Haring gripped her dagger more firmly.
“Okay!”
Her enthusiastic response indicated her determination to give it her all.
With that assurance, Kraush began to slowly focus on his Sixth Sense.
He was accustomed to using his Sixth Sense for combat.
But this time, just as he had done to navigate the Demonic Bastion in the past—
He now concentrated fully on locating Ebelasque.
‘One way or another, I’m the best at sensing her presence.’
Though Sena possessed Divine Clarity, she had never encountered Ebelasque before.
Thus, finding Ebelasque was entirely Kraush’s responsibility.
Kraush’s aura transformed into thin spiderweb-like strands and extended outward.
On top of these delicate threads of aura—
His Lioner energy blended in, completing an even more intricate web of aura.
It was a detection version of the Thunderclap technique he usually employed.
These threads of aura stretched endlessly, filling the surrounding space.
At the same time, Kraush’s concentration heightened even further.
Within the three-dimensional space—
The cacophony of the endlessly swarming skeletal monster army gradually faded away.
Beyond that noise, he began to sense the rhythmic signals of the cores within them.
The skeletal monsters were not independent beings.
They moved by receiving aura from Ebelasque.
Moreover, she’s controlling an army of this size.
Even Ebelasque can’t completely sever the signals she’s sending them.
‘To be precise, this fool can’t.’
Kraush’s eyes, which had been tracking the signals, began to slowly open.
‘Because she doesn’t know how to hide her emotions. Even in a place like this, they slip out unconsciously.’
She might say not to look for her.
But in the end, she wants to be found.
When she thinks she’s doing something wrong, she makes it blatantly obvious she doesn’t want to do it.
‘She’s so consistent.’
Kraush swallowed a bemused laugh and lifted his head.
The signals coming from the Skeleton Monsters were all pointing to one place.
The ridge above.
Kraush fixed his gaze on a Skeleton Monster pretending to descend with the others.
At that moment, one Skeleton Monster flinched and subtly stepped back.
It had realized that he had caught on.
In that instant, Haring cleaved through a Skeleton Monster flying toward them.
Through the opening, Kraush caught sight of Sena moving ahead.
“Professor!”
Breaking free from his focus, Kraush shouted energetically.
Sena, who had just sent another wave of Skeleton Monsters flying, turned to look at him.
“Can you give us one big blast?”
Sena understood the intent behind Kraush’s question.
Kraush had found Ebelasque.
The moment she realized that, her lips curved into a sly smile.
“Come on, then!”
Though she was a Theology professor, she was a fighter at heart.
Her nature was as rough as they came.
So the moment she gave her permission, Kraush’s body was engulfed in Black Flame.
“Haring, I’m off.”
“Be careful.”
Heeding Haring’s warning, Kraush immediately kicked off the ground.
Leaving a trail of Black Flame in his wake, Kraush shot straight toward Sena.
In response, Sena, having cleared the area of Skeleton Monsters, spun around, her cloak billowing.
Simultaneously, her arms traced a circle as if performing a dance.
Wind began to ripple outward from around Sena.
The rippling wind quickly grew into a gale, stirring up a fierce tempest.
The wind was so powerful it sent the massive Skeleton Monsters nearby flying.
“You’ll have to figure out your landing yourself.”
With those words, Kraush hurled himself into the storm.
Whoosh! Bang!
The tempest launched Kraush high into the sky with a deafening roar.
Suddenly airborne, Kraush felt the wind slapping his face as he shot forward in a straight line.
Below, the endless expanse of Skeleton Monsters flailed helplessly.
But they couldn’t possibly catch Kraush, who was moving far too quickly.
“Ugh!”
And it wasn’t easy for Kraush either.
The professor had gotten a bit too enthusiastic and launched him way too hard.
Even with Annihilation Erosion, he felt like he was about to lose consciousness.
But Kraush wasn’t about to let himself pass out disgracefully.
Enhancing his body even further with Annihilation Erosion, Kraush focused his gaze downward.
Below, a single Skeleton Monster was fleeing desperately without looking back.
The moment Kraush spotted it, Black Flame surged around his body.
Twisting his body in mid-air, he changed his trajectory.
Whoosh!
The shift in direction caused such strain that his body trembled violently.
But Kraush paid no mind and shot downward in that position.
“Huh?!”
A startled voice rang out from the Skeleton Monster below.
Seeing that dumbfounded reaction, Kraush stifled a bitter laugh and immediately swung his foot.
“Take this, for starters!”
Smack!
His foot collided with the Skull of the Skeleton Monster, producing a sharp, resonating sound.
“Ack!”
A foolish cry echoed through the cracks of its now-broken skull.
Thud!
The Skeleton Monster tumbled across the ground, and Kraush rolled along with it.
Whatever force he’d used to send it flying, Kraush rolled for a good while before finally stopping.
Shaking his head, he managed to steady his spinning vision.
He resolved that he’d never ask for another launch again.
With that firm resolve, Kraush turned his head.
There, he spotted the Skeleton Monster lying flat on the ground, trying to slink away.
Without the slightest hesitation, Kraush leapt and stomped down hard on its back.
“Agh!”
With a scream, the Skeleton Monster’s form began to dissolve.
And soon, what emerged was a long cascade of black hair.
Clad in a robe far removed from her usual attire, it was none other than Ebelasque.
Though it had been a long time since he’d seen her face, the first thing Kraush did was sigh.
“You just keep trying everything, don’t you? What was that about not wanting to be found? Repaying a debt? Yeah, right.”
Kraush pressed firmly against Ebelasque’s back.
At that, Ebelasque screamed from underneath him.
“Ack, ack, ah, it hurts! You’re crushing my chest! Stop it!”
Kraush looked down at her pitiful display with disdain.
Yet he had no intention of lifting his foot.
Because Ebelasque, too embarrassed, kept her face buried in the ground without any attempt to get up.
Of course, it was only natural.
She couldn’t bring herself to raise her head and face Kraush.
After all, he was the one who had rescued her from a life of servitude as a pawn of the Empire.
And now, she had betrayed him and endangered Hardenhartz.
There was no way she could face him.
Kraush, looking down at Ebelasque, sighed once more.
“If you were going to block me, you should’ve done it with your full strength.”
Ebelasque’s body flinched.
The Skeleton Legion she commanded was undeniably powerful in sheer numbers.
But Kraush had realized while facing them.
Not an ounce of sincerity was behind her actions.
Kraush knew what Ebelasque was capable of on the battlefield.
Her power was so extraordinary that the title of a one-person legion wasn’t an exaggeration.
Even with Sena’s help, Kraush shouldn’t have been able to break through unscathed.
Let alone the fact that her true strength, her so-called “Numbers,” the elite corpses under her command, hadn’t even appeared.
‘At the very least, she could’ve held off the Mad Blade Emperor and Brother Rai for three days.’
The Skeleton Legion that blocked Kraush’s path was essentially nothing more than scarecrows.
Ebelasque, who had been chastised by Kraush, remained silent.
To be precise, it wasn’t silence but the sound of her sniffling.
“…Because it was all due to my foolish greed.”
The greed to save the comrades she had lost long ago.
That greed had driven her to persistently study necromancy.
And to confront the reality that failure was inevitable.
Her determination to revive her comrades was, perhaps, a curse to her.
A curse she could never hope to break.
And because of that curse, she even betrayed those who had helped her this time.
For someone like her, with a nature incapable of betraying others, the guilt weighed unbearably heavy.
Knowing this all too well, Kraush sighed.
“Is that why you entered Ixion?”
Ebelasque flinched.
Kraush had Crimson Garden.
It wasn’t strange for him to know about Ixion.
“Do you really think entering Ixion will get you what you want?”
“…She promised. The Black Witch said she would revive my comrades.”
Ebelasque spoke with trembling lips as she bit down hard.
“No, you must know.”
But Kraush denied her claim.
“There’s no way to bring your comrades back to life in the first place.”
Ebelasque’s eyes began to widen gradually.
Simultaneously, a venomous glare filled her gaze.
It was at that moment.
Ebelasque’s body blurred like a shadow and disappeared.
At the same time, her figure reappeared in the forest.
Her face, framed by her cascading black robe, looked utterly gaunt.
Her emotions, usually hidden, were laid bare, and her expression radiated sheer darkness.
“…What do you know to speak so recklessly?”
Ebelasque’s eyes were filled with fury.
Kraush’s earlier statement was something she could not possibly tolerate.
However, Kraush couldn’t let her remain like this.
Ebelasque must not enter Ixion.
If her necromancer powers were added to Ixion, it would grow uncontrollably.
And, to end the battle between the Mad Blade Emperor and Rai Balheim, her assistance was indispensable.
“The Mad Blade Emperor’s other secret technique.”
Blood Heaven World.
A cursed secret technique that traps the target and the user in an isolated dimension.
The Mad Blade Emperor would have undoubtedly used the Blood Heaven World on Rai.
To enter it, there was no way but to forcibly break through with greater power than the Mad Blade Emperor.
Or.
“Ebelasque, you left a corpse inside the Mad Blade Emperor’s Blood Heaven World, didn’t you?”
Ebelasque’s shoulders flinched noticeably.
She wasn’t entirely foolish.
She had prepared a contingency plan, just in case.
By placing a corpse within the Blood Heaven World beforehand, she ensured she could intervene and open a path at any time.
That’s why Kraush needed Ebelasque’s help.
Exhausting his strength to break through the Blood Heaven World himself would be a pointless endeavor.
[Do you intend to persuade her?]
Persuade her.
Kraush let out a brief, bitter laugh.
“You want me to cooperate? I’ve made a deal with Ixion. I don’t know what you think you know, but they promised to bring my comrades back to life.”
Watching her shout as if rejecting reality, Kraush raised his head.
It was time to pull her out of her delusions and into reality.
“The condition for reviving your comrades—the remnants of their bodies.”
Ebelasque’s wide-open eyes began to tremble violently.
She couldn’t comprehend how Kraush could know such a thing.
“S-Stop.”
Ebelasque opened her mouth as if to halt Kraush, who was trying to awaken her to the truth.
But Kraush’s words didn’t stop.
“They’ve all been destroyed and no longer exist, haven’t they?”
Crack—
The sound of something deep within Ebelasque’s heart breaking echoed.
Despite dedicating her life to necromancy, she couldn’t even revive her comrades as mere corpses.
The fate of a fugitive who had escaped from the world they once lived in.
That harsh reality reared its head once more.