TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 157
Mad Blade Emperor.
He found the current situation utterly displeasing.
Up until he had been facing Rai, he had been thoroughly enjoying himself.
It had been so long since he’d fought someone this strong, and it was exhilarating.
But everything had been ruined by the sudden appearance of that intruder.
The Blood Heaven World, a space meant for a duel between two.
The group that shattered that world and appeared had gifted the Mad Blade Emperor with a truly infuriating experience.
They had wrecked one of his arms and set his entire body ablaze.
Naturally, he couldn’t help but be consumed by rage.
And now, that infuriating feeling was growing even stronger.
Amidst the relentless onslaught of the Emperor Annihilation Blades descending from the sky.
Someone, moving as if possessed by a god and dancing like a performer, wielded a cleaver against him.
She drove the Mad Blade Emperor back, as if certain the Emperor Annihilation Blades could never harm her.
And indeed, as she had anticipated, the Emperor Annihilation Blades only opened paths for her.
They blocked her from danger, opened opportunities when she attacked, and moved with precision.
That precision was entirely thanks to Rai’s skill.
Even upon seeing it again, it was a Sword Control Technique so exceptional it left one speechless.
“Damn it, there’s no opening anymore.”
Rai’s Sword Control Technique was originally tailored for countering the Erosion Species.
In fact, when it came to confronting World Erosion, it was fair to say Rai was the strongest among the Ten Strongest Under the Heavens.
However, perhaps because of that focus, he had slight weaknesses in one-on-one combat.
That was why it had taken him quite some time to suppress the Mad Blade Emperor completely.
But now, the situation was entirely different.
Ghost Hand, Sena Myer, had once stood alongside Rai as part of the Golden Generation.
Though she might not reach the level of the Ten Strongest Under the Heavens, she was still worthy of being called a powerhouse.
And her coordination with Rai was better than anyone could have imagined.
While Rai was most suited for hunting Erosion Species rather than facing individuals,
Sena, in contrast, excelled more in one-on-one combat than she did against the Erosion Species.
When the two combined their strengths, Sena wreaked havoc on the battlefield Rai created.
As a result, the Mad Blade Emperor’s body was once again sliced by Sena’s cleaver.
Gritting his teeth as his side was torn open, the Mad Blade Emperor swung the Blood Leprosy Death Blade.
But by that time, Rai’s Emperor Annihilation Sword had already descended, blocking his path.
The Emperor Annihilation Sword excelled in spatial control.
Its hardness was such that even the Blood Leprosy Death Blade couldn’t cut through it.
That was only natural.
The Emperor Annihilation Sword, currently being wielded, possessed the properties of Adamantium, the hardest ore in existence.
Rai’s skill.
Repeten.
A skill that materialized desired forms through the aura imbued in the minerals he held.
The Emperor Annihilation Sword was born from the fusion of that skill and Rai’s Sword Control Technique.
Dozens of such Emperor Annihilation Swords floated in the sky above.
Just witnessing that was enough to grasp the overwhelming power of Rai’s aura.
But what irked the Mad Blade Emperor more than that was something else.
As soon as he pulled back, he felt a chilling presence behind him and instinctively swung the Blood Leprosy Death Blade.
However, what he cut through was empty air.
The Mad Blade Emperor’s face twisted in fury as he slashed at nothing.
The reason for his actions was simple.
It was because of Kraush, who had been hiding and sneaking up to strike before retreating.
Judging by the chilling presence he had just sensed, the bastard had deliberately revealed his presence momentarily and then vanished.
It was a tactic to drain the Mad Blade Emperor of his strength.
“That bastard!”
The Mad Blade Emperor, who rarely cursed, shouted in anger.
But there was no time for outbursts.
Another Emperor Annihilation Sword was descending above him.
There wasn’t even a moment to catch his breath in his wounded state.
Though the Mad Blade Emperor had a self-recovery ability, it slowed when using the Blood Leprosy Death Blade.
This was because the Blood Leprosy Death Blade absorbed and consumed his blood.
Yet he couldn’t simply let go of the Blood Leprosy Death Blade.
Doing so would be equivalent to abandoning his own weapon.
The Mad Blade Emperor’s mind raced.
The thought that the situation was dire struck him hard.
Even Ebelasque seemed to have betrayed him.
No matter how important it was to absorb the power of World Erosion, as per Ixion’s goals, being pushed this far made such priorities irrelevant.
Survival came first.
Life took precedence above all else.
That was the Mad Blade Emperor’s survival strategy.
“Black Witch!”
The Mad Blade Emperor screamed at the top of his lungs.
“I’ve done enough!”
A black space began to twist behind him.
The Black Witch, too, respected the Mad Blade Emperor’s decision.
The distorted black space gradually began to take shape.
At that moment, another Emperor Annihilation Sword came crashing down before him.
At the same time, Sena charged forward with alarming speed.
They had noticed his attempt to escape.
But it was already too late.
“So persistent.”
The Mad Blade Emperor’s Blood Leprosy Death Blade began to swell rapidly.
With a gush of blood from his arm, the Blood Leprosy Death Blade let out an eerie sound as its eyes seemed to open.
Screeeeeeech!
The protruding blade of the Blood Leprosy Death Blade began spinning violently.
The horrifying noise filled the space, unbearable to hear.
The Mad Blade Emperor swung the spinning Blood Leprosy Death Blade toward the onrushing Sena.
“Ugh!”
Sena, sensing the extraordinary power behind the attack, quickly halted her steps and pulled back.
Even so, a few strands of her hair were severed and scattered in the air.
Seizing the moment, the Mad Blade Emperor tried to strike Sena down with the Blood Leprosy Death Blade, but the Emperor Annihilation Sword was already descending right before him.
He twisted his blade to intercept the Emperor Annihilation Sword.
Clang!
Sparks flew as the Emperor Annihilation Sword clashed with the Blood Leprosy Death Blade.
Scree-scree-scree!
The spinning blade of the Blood Leprosy Death Blade began grinding against the edge of the Emperor Annihilation Sword.
It proved its worth as one of the Ten Heavenly Swords, asserting its dominance.
Boom!
With a burst of force, the Mad Blade Emperor deflected the Emperor Annihilation Sword, sending it crashing into the ground.
Meanwhile, the Black Witch’s spatial transfer was nearly complete.
Though other Emperor Annihilation Swords were closing in, the Mad Blade Emperor decided to ignore them.
It was regrettable that Ebelasque’s betrayal had foiled the plan to absorb World Erosion, but there was no helping it.
Life was the most important thing.
With that, the Mad Blade Emperor turned his body to flee.
“Black Witch.”
It was at that moment.
The Mad Blade Emperor instinctively halted his steps at the voice that echoed from behind him.
Because the owner of that voice was none other than Kraush.
The very person who had utterly messed with him.
He spoke the name of the Black Witch as if he knew something.
The Mad Blade Emperor’s eyes unconsciously turned backward.
There stood Kraush, exhaling smoke with Rain Thunder Prime in hand, a peculiar smile playing on his lips.
That smile caused the Mad Blade Emperor’s brow to twitch.
Kraush, still smiling, slowly raised his free hand—the one not gripping Rain Thunder Prime.
Before the Mad Blade Emperor could even question the action—
Whoosh!
A blue flame burst forth from the raised hand.
It was pure Ignis, created solely through aura.
At the sight of it, a flicker of incomprehension crossed the Mad Blade Emperor’s face.
Screeeeech—
The sound of space opening behind him rang out.
The moment the Mad Blade Emperor realized he couldn’t afford to delay and attempted to hurl himself into the spatial rift—
What appeared beyond it was the massive, pitch-black tentacles of an octopus.
Rumble!
Before the Mad Blade Emperor could even express his confusion, dozens of swollen tentacles tore through the black space and poured out.
“What, Black Witch!?”
Startled by the sudden turn of events, the Mad Blade Emperor shouted in alarm.
Understandably so.
The tentacles spilling forth completely blocked him from entering the rift.
Yet, those ferocious tentacles paid no heed to his desperate cries and extended toward Kraush.
They were so enormous that, for a moment, it felt as though the world was shrouded in pitch-black darkness.
Those massive tentacles were singularly focused on snatching Kraush.
To the Black Witch, Ignis was absolutely essential.
However, Kraush merely gazed at it quietly, taking no action.
He simply exhaled deeply, his eyes glinting.
“It’s ready now.”
At the exact moment Kraush uttered those words—
Swish!
A brief sound rang out as a sword of light, forged from pure energy, zipped past Kraush’s head.
The ignited light instantly made contact with the tentacles.
Boom!
In that moment, the tentacles burst apart as if ink had exploded from them.
The shattered tentacles disintegrated into fragments, while the Sword of Light shot forward in a straight path toward the Mad Blade Emperor.
“Ugh!?”
As the situation unfolded in an instant, the Mad Blade Emperor gasped and instinctively swung the Blood Leprosy Death Blade.
He had been too stunned by the Black Witch’s sudden actions to retreat in time.
Clangclangclangclangclangclangclangclangclangclangclangclang!
And that was a fatal mistake.
The Sword of Light clashed against the Blood Leprosy Death Blade, pushing both it and the Mad Blade Emperor’s body backward.
The overwhelming force of the Sword of Light was enough to make him involuntarily let out a scream.
Had it not been for the Blood Leprosy Death Blade, the sword would have shattered instantly and embedded itself into his flesh with its crushing power.
Thud!
The Mad Blade Emperor was flung backward, colliding with the Emperor Annihilation Sword lodged in the ground.
Yet, more than the shock of that impact, the force of the Sword of Light threatened to tear both the Blood Leprosy Death Blade and his arm apart at any moment.
His already battered arm was in no state to endure.
Now, even his other arm began to creak and scream in agony.
The light emanating from the Sword of Light blurred his vision.
It felt as though he was about to become one with the Emperor Annihilation Sword.
Blood surged madly through the Mad Blade Emperor’s body as the power of the Blood Ghost Blade began to rise.
Clangclangclangclangclang!
His muscles swelled as he struggled to push back against the Sword of Light.
The blood coursing through his veins was so intense it dyed his body a fiery red.
“Black… Witch!”
He cursed the Black Witch’s reckless actions as he shouted her name.
Whatever had caused her to lose her mind, this was practically an act of abandonment toward him.
Step—
At that moment, a distinct sound of footsteps reached his ears.
His eyes followed the sound, and soon, a familiar figure came into view.
A boy gripping a sword, exhaling smoke, his hair gradually turning red from the roots.
That boy was none other than Kraush.
Flames once again began to rise from within Kraush’s body.
And those flames were entirely channeled into the Rain Thunder Prime he held.
Crackle!
Lightning erupted from the scabbard encasing Rain Thunder Prime.
The wild heat clashed violently within the scabbard, amplifying its power.
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud!
The Mad Blade Emperor’s heart began to pound furiously.
Danger. Danger. Danger. Danger.
An alarm blared incessantly in his mind.
The Sword of Light restraining him seemed ready to crush both the Blood Leprosy Death Blade and his arms, and then pulverize his heart.
He couldn’t afford to divert even the slightest bit of strength.
If he took another direct hit like before, he wouldn’t be able to endure it.
Inevitably, his strength would give out, and the Sword of Light would shred his heart to pieces.
He absolutely could not allow Kraush to strike again.
“Black… Witch, Black Witch!”
Like a child searching for their mother, the Mad Blade Emperor kept calling out for the Black Witch.
But no answer came in response to his cries.
His blood-red eyes trembled with desperation.
Kraush’s advancing silhouette seemed like the very embodiment of the Grim Reaper.
“Oh, stop! Don’t come any closer, you bastard!”
Despite his curses, Kraush remained calm.
In that moment, Kraush’s mind was entirely consumed by his sword.
Within the lake of his consciousness, black flames surged and transformed into a rising current.
That current reached the skies and finally descended upon Rain Thunder Prime.
Boom!
A thunderous sound echoed as lightning struck.
The scabbard encasing Kraush’s sword shattered into pieces.
“You son of a bitchhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
The Mad Blade Emperor’s frantic scream accompanied his desperate struggle.
Kraush’s sword tore through the air.
[Annihilation Erosion]
[Third Form]
[Sky-Thundering Annihilation]
Whoosh!
At that moment, a storm of black flame and lightning swept across the battlefield.
Crack!
Along with the sound of something shattering, the light of the Sword of Light ignited.