Chapter 170
The forest within the midterm evaluation site.
Someone was crossing through that forest at great speed.
With dark blue hair fluttering, the person running was none other than Kraush Balheim.
"Squeak, screech, squeak!"
At that moment, a corpse rat that barely fit into his pocket let out frantic screams.
Roughly interpreted, it was shouting, "I'm going to die."
For something already dead, it was extremely noisy.
Ping!
At that moment, the corpse rat bounced out of the pocket and began flying through the air.
Kraush grabbed the flying corpse rat with his hand and put it back into his pocket.
"Nawon, you really shouldn't have followed me."
Kraush scolded the corpse rat while turning his direction and drawing Rain Thunder Prime.
It was because his sixth sense had stirred.
"Kieeek!"
In front of his sprinting path,
A single Erosion Species suddenly appeared, screaming wildly.
On top of its sphere-like body,
A nearly bald face protruded out from between hundreds of arms.
Even at first glance, the monster's grotesque appearance was horrifying beyond measure, breaking trees as it extended its arms toward Kraush.
From the bracelet on Kraush's wrist, a crimson light shone.
It was a 5th Class Erosion Species, the average limit for students.
At the moment Kraush faced such an Erosion Species, Rain Thunder Prime turned golden.
Simultaneously, black flames burst out and exploded like they were ignited.
Kraush took a sharp breath.
Boom!
Along with a stamping foot, his sword extended straight out, tearing all the arms apart.
The black flames erupting from his sword were beyond what the arms of a 5th Class Erosion Species could withstand.
Crackle!
Between the gaps of the torn arms,
Kraush's sword pierced directly into the face of the Erosion Species.
"Kieek, eeeek......."
Without even a chance to resist, the Erosion Species' blood evaporated from the heat of the black flames.
However, Kraush had no intention of stopping there.
Ssskrrk!
His blade, swung upward, split the Erosion Species' head and body cleanly in two.
The overwhelming heat contained in the blade was something the frail body of the Erosion Species could not withstand.
The time it took to reach that point was two seconds.
Kraush, who consumed merely two seconds to deal with a 5th Class Erosion Species, continued running without stopping, the countermeasure on his bracelet increasing in count.
If it had been another student, they would have spent all their exam time dealing with the Erosion Species just now.
However, for Kraush, a 5th Class Erosion Species was no longer even an opponent.
If he were to get stuck at this level in full condition, his training so far would have been meaningless.
Ding!
At that moment, with the notification sound, the color of the bracelet on Kraush's wrist changed.
Orange.
It was the Orange Line.
'The goal is right in front of me.'
Kraush's goal was the Red Line.
Perhaps because of that, even though he had reached the Orange Line, there was no tension on Kraush's face.
Boom!
At that moment, a tremor resonated from the ground.
The tremor directly connected to the ground beneath Kraush's feet, and Kraush immediately kicked off the ground, leaping into the air.
Crack!
At the same time, the ground beneath him collapsed, and tree roots began shooting upward.
The rising tree roots instantly shattered the ground, turning it into scorched earth.
Simultaneously, inside the rising tree roots,
A pitch-black, chestnut-shaped monster with glowing red eyes came into view.
It was a 6th Class Erosion Species, a plant-type Erosion Species called Bottler.
Spreading its roots over 1km of land, this colossal Erosion Species devoured everything that passed over it.
Upon seeing it, Kraush let out a hollow laugh.
Though it was manifested through magic, he couldn't help but think this was a bit over the top.
"So, they won't let me reach the Red Line so easily. I get it."
From Kraush's Rain Thunder Prime, pitch-black energy began surging out.
Bottler, which had consumed everything over a 1km radius, could not simply be bypassed.
Hence, he resolved to deal with it first.
However, just before Kraush could kill Bottler,
His sixth sense twitched first.
[ It's here. ]
Crimson Garden spoke at the same time Kraush turned his head to the side.
At that moment, a beam of light whizzed past the side of his head.
The beam disappeared into the ground below.
Boom!
Soon after, an enormous explosion echoed, accompanied by beams of light bursting from the ground.
Bottler's roots were torn apart, flying into the air, and the explosion engulfed Kraush as well.
His hair and clothing fluttered in the wind caused by the blast.
As Kraush shifted his gaze through the smoke, roots that had risen above the ground began collapsing powerlessly, one by one.
Even though the roots were as large as buildings, crashing down with thuds, Kraush's attention was entirely directed behind him.
Through the smoke, a single spear shot up into the sky.
The spear, as if it had a will of its own, flew through the air and disappeared behind Kraush.
Step-
At the same time, the sound of someone's footsteps was heard.
Along with footsteps deliberately made to announce their presence, a figure emerged through the dissipating smoke.
As a result, Kraush's head slowly turned back.
There was someone with long, waist-length black hair fluttering.
Beneath that hair, a body with graceful curves captivating to the eyes was revealed.
However, the aura emanating from the spear she held did not allow attention to linger on her natural beauty.
It was an intense aura that made the skin crawl and sent chills down the spine just by looking at it.
Between the black hair, her desolate black pupils glinted eerily.
It was certainly different from the lion-like domineering air she had exuded in the past.
However, the sharp killing intent felt from her spear seemed to distort even the surrounding air.
"Mary Diana."
The moment Kraush called her full name, she quietly swung the spear in her hand to the side.
Whoosh!
At that moment, the aura emanating from the spear cleared away all the surrounding smoke.
Above the forest Bottler had smashed apart,
Standing alone, she opened her mouth toward Kraush.
"Kraush."
The name she had called countless times before.
However, today the weight behind calling that name was different.
A rival she absolutely had to defeat.
To Mary, Kraush was now her greatest foe.
The killing intent surging from her swept over Kraush's body.
Flash!
That alone caused Kraush's Heavenly Slaughter Star to instinctively exude killing intent that surpassed the Doll's Eye.
The Heavenly Slaughter Star, most sensitive to killing intent, realized that this was the most dangerous opponent it had ever faced.
'Stay still.'
Kraush forcefully suppressed the Heavenly Slaughter Star and looked at Mary.
In her prime, utilizing the Heavenly Martial Body, her innate Martial Prowess had reached its zenith.
Back then, she clearly hadn't even reached half of her Martial Prowess.
However, after just a few weeks of Closed Door Training, she was now on an entirely different level compared to her appearance at the Entrance Ceremony.
'The killing intent alone is enough to make my skin sting.'
Divine Spear.
Its significance diverges from existing nicknames.
Even the renowned Celestial Four Strongest had to settle for titles like "Emperor."
But Mary Diana was different.
She alone could bear the nickname "Divine."
And now, such a woman was standing as an enemy before Kraush.
For some reason, Kraush couldn't help but laugh at that fact.
After all, never in his life had he imagined she would become his rival.
And yet, she was the wall he absolutely had to overcome this time.
"If you wanted to bring me down, why didn't you aim for my head from the beginning?"
Kraush, draped in Rain Thunder Prime, spoke with a mischievous smile.
However, Mary didn't show even the slightest reaction to Kraush.
She simply grew even more resolute than before.
"It only means something if I defeat you at your strongest."
That's right.
I, too, have waited for you to reach your full condition.
Until you believed you could bring me down.
Until the very point where breaking you would leave you unable to rise again.
He endured, and endured again.
"Is that so?"
Do you even know?
That the person standing before you now is Kraush Balheim, carrying the full memory of the previous round.
[Do you even understand the hearts of those who fight on the battlefield every day? When all you do is curse from behind, how dare you shout at those who've done their utmost!]
Kraush clearly remembered the words she had once shouted at him.
It was the day she raged after a nation had been wiped off the map, obliterated by the Greatest Evil.
Yes, just as she said, Kraush had never fought on the frontlines.
All he did was use the body imbued with Divine Power by the Saintess to steal curses.
But precisely because of that, he had spoken those words.
He would bear all the burdens himself, so that others would never have to fall or crumble.
Skyborne Generation.
True to their name, they should have soared higher than anyone and saved this damned world.
Yet Arthur and the others failed.
Even the spear of the Divine Spear was futilely broken before Destruction.
Kraush had no intention of ever recalling that day.
He would never again gaze up at the sky, waiting for death in a land where everything was gone.
Just as she had said.
'I stood at the forefront of the battlefield.'
So that he would never crumble.
So that he would never lose.
Thus, Kraush looked at Mary.
Could the spear that had once been broken reach the sky again?
Unfortunately, Kraush no longer held any expectations for her.
Her spear had already been broken once.
"Then."
The Black Flame flowing from Kraush's body distorted the atmosphere.
The intense heat, enough to make mirages rise, even made Mary frown slightly.
"Come at me."
In that moment, a provocative smile appeared on Kraush's face.
Mary's foot stepped forward.
In that very brief moment.
Mary's figure blurred.
For a moment, all the sounds of the world ceased.
In a space where the speed of sound was transcended.
Mary's spear broke through the sound barrier and reached for Kraush.
Screeeeeech!
However, the sound from her spear was not the sound of flesh tearing but the clashing of metal against metal.
As the delayed sound followed, Mary's eyes flashed.
She didn't seem to have thought for even a moment that her single strike would succeed.
The aura surrounding her spear left trails of light as it repeatedly extended.
That natural flow contained the countless Martial Prowess she had accumulated throughout her life.
With each trajectory drawn by her spear, delayed explosions filled the battlefield.
Crack!
At the same time, the impact from the clashing spears shattered the surrounding area.
Fragments of the cracked ground soared into the sky, and the space that failed to keep up with her speed distorted belatedly, creating storms.
Heavenly Martial Body and Martial Prowess of the Divine Spear.
The sight of them intertwined left onlookers in awe.
Her spear technique had reached its peak to such an extent.
However, amidst the overwhelming bombardment of her spear that could overwhelm anyone.
Mary's wide-open eyes reflected the scene beyond the bombardment.
The precise spot where her spear had struck.
At that exact point, without the slightest deviation, the blade of the Rain Thunder Prime had pierced through her spear.
Seeing that sight, Mary's wide-open eyes refused to close.
She also knew that Kraush used a Blunt Sword.
The Blunt Sword, although a sword, used a slow technique to dominate space by piercing through all of the opponent's moves.
Thus, those facing the Blunt Sword often found themselves gradually losing their moves to the opponent, eventually left with nothing to do.
However, the Blunt Sword was not invincible.
After all, it was a technique that could only be executed under the assumption of piercing through all of the opponent's subtle moves.
Mary, too, had faced users of the Blunt Sword before.
While the Blunt Sword was tricky, Mary knew how to counter it.
Specifically, the Blunt Sword was most vulnerable to her spear.
She had Excel.
Her skill, Excel, which enhanced her instantaneous acceleration.
Her spear, already thrust with unreasonable strength, moved on a trajectory different from ordinary spears.
In this situation, her Excel not only increased the spear's speed.
It also altered the spear's trajectory in entirely unpredictable directions.
A spear thrust straight forward, with Excel added, would suddenly change to an upward strike and ambush the opponent.
The problem was that this happened faster than the speed of the initial thrust.
Even a natural user of the Blunt Sword couldn't react to her Excel.
This had been proven when she faced the Blunt Sword of the Sword Master, one of the World Erosion Beings, who had reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship.
Her spear pierced through the Blunt Sword.
The Blunt Sword could never block her spear.
And yet.
And yet, now.
Her spear was being blocked completely in front of the Blunt Sword user.
Even if it lacked compared to her prime, her spear, which boasted unparalleled combat experience, was being stopped.
Clang, clang, clang, clang, clang!
Every time her spear extended countless times and drew a trajectory, Rain Thunder Prime of Kraush was there.
As those instances piled up, her eyes began to shake more and more violently.
How, how is this possible.
No matter how much Kraush seemed like an entirely different person in this round.
It was an utterly unacceptable reality.
This was something that could never be achieved without knowing all her small habits, combat patterns, and techniques.
"How!"
Along with a burst of breath, the spear she thrust out was once again blocked by Kraush's Rain Thunder Prime.
At that moment, a slightly tilted blade slid along her spear shaft and extended toward her.
Grit!
Watching the blade flying straight toward her head, Mary gritted her teeth and infused Excel into her spear.
At that moment, her spear, angled to the left, deflected Kraush's blade.
In that instant, something appeared before her eyes.
By the time she belatedly realized what it was, it was too late.
Smack!
The resounding noise belatedly shook her mental focus in an instant.
Along with the impact that tugged at her chin, sharp pain erupted in her eyes.
A fist.
It was Kraush's fist.
Her Heavenly Martial Body, which she was born with, had allowed an attack from an opponent.
In this unbelievable scene, she hastily raised her spear shaft to block the approaching blade of Rain Thunder Prime.
Clang!
The clash of the spear shaft and the blade echoed loudly.
Whoosh!
At the same time, heat emanating from the blade made her hold back a scream.
Thud!
At the same time, Kraush's blade began pressing down on her.
The force was so intense that her knees almost gave out for a moment.
Amidst the black flame, Kraush's crimson-dyed eyes stared directly at Mary.
Feeling a shudder from those eyes, Mary gasped.
"What, what are you."
She asked as if she couldn't comprehend.
Hearing her question, Kraush exhaled smoke quietly from his mouth.
"What else."
Crack!
Along with his answer, Kraush crushed something in his mouth.
Mary didn't even need to wonder what it was.
Her knees buckled as the heat emanating from Kraush's body grew as hot as the sun.
"I am Kraush Balheim, whom you know so well."
A name you will never be able to forget for eternity.