Chapter 231
The corridor of the White Lamb Order.
Kraush, who had entrusted Glen to Karandis, was running down the corridor at high speed.
Bang, bang!
The noise reverberating from all directions was the sound of battles taking place throughout the White Lamb Order building.
'Aslan.'
He must be clashing with Barkram.
I don't know the odds of winning.
When it comes to magic, it's really a battle of pure knowledge.
Unlike Aslan, who had paused his magic for a while, Barkram, as the Demon King's son, must have been constantly researching magic.
Barkram is also a genius no less than Aslan.
'I have to trust him.'
Even if everyone perishes in this battle, I will definitely reach Meiri.
With that thought, Kraush quickened his pace even further.
At the same time, Kraush's Sixth Sense began to keenly spread around him.
Meiri must be in the safest place within the White Lamb Order.
Knowing this, Kraush sharpened his Sixth Sense even more to find Meiri.
Before long, the sensation of the White Lamb Order building spread everywhere.
Although it was chaotic due to the sheer number of people.
Kraush steadily pursued Meiri.
And soon, he discovered a place where his Sixth Sense unusually failed to work.
A place that seemed deliberately blocked to hide it from the detection area.
'Here it is.'
The moment he reached that spot, Kraush immediately turned his body in that direction.
Perhaps because he overused his Sixth Sense.
His head throbbed a little, but there was no hesitation once the location was confirmed.
"It's Kraush!"
"Stop him!"
At that moment, members of the White Lamb Order and the Human Horse Unit appeared in his path.
It was evidence of the two groups' alliance.
"Hoo."
As soon as he saw them, Kraush exhaled smoke from his mouth.
At the same time, he explosively leaped forward, sweeping through his body with Annihilation Erosion.
A member of the White Lamb Order swung a spear in response to Kraush's leap.
However, Kraush grabbed the spear shaft with his hand, twisted his body upward, and planted his foot into the man's head.
Crack!
The member of the White Lamb Order, struck by Kraush's counterattack, was embedded into the wall.
Kraush then threw the spear he was holding at a member of the Human Horse Unit.
The thrown spear flew at a fierce speed toward the member of the Human Horse Unit.
The member hurriedly swung his sword to deflect the spear.
At that moment, the spear disappeared right before his eyes.
As a result, he slashed the empty air in vain, losing his balance.
By the time he guessed the impending danger and tried to regain his posture, it was too late.
The spear, which had somehow returned to Kraush's hand, had already torn through his chest.
Thud!
"Khaah!"
The man whose chest had been ripped apart screamed and rolled on the floor.
Kraush threw the spear he was holding at another person stealthily approaching from behind, piercing him, and then ran down the corridor again.
He had neatly dealt with three people.
They were also students who stood out in their own departments.
But compared to Kraush, they were far inferior.
Unless they were part of the Skyborne Generation, it was impossible even to hold Kraush back.
Perhaps they knew that as well.
Eventually, Kraush had to stop running.
Because he encountered a familiar face ahead.
"Hoo, so you're the one who showed up."
"......Kraush."
As Kraush caught his breath lightly and reacted with displeasure, the person standing in front of him gave a slightly bitter smile.
A young man with brown hair and a handsome appearance.
The student commander of the Geohaedan.
The Commoner's Hero, Felray.
Because he was there.
In the White Lamb Order, there is Sigrid.
Her authority wields immense power within the Empire.
The Geohaedan, which consists mostly of commoners in the Empire, cannot escape from Sigrid's influence.
Moreover, Sigrid willingly lent her strength.
To ensure that nobles could not harm the commoners attending Rahelrn Academy.
As such, Felray could not completely break free from Sigrid either.
Kraush was also aware of this situation.
So without saying much, he pointed Rain Thunder Prime at him.
"You're going to stop me, aren't you?"
"Yes."
For the sake of the Geohaedan, Felray had to stop Kraush.
So Felray also drew his sword against Kraush.
"I will definitely stop you."
An aura emanated from Felray's body.
He had become much stronger than when Kraush had saved him during the Hardenhartz incident.
'Has Felray also finally entered the realm of a Master?'
It seemed like everyone was desperately trying to grow stronger everywhere.
However, even when facing Felray as an enemy, Kraush had a smile on his lips.
Because Felray was steadily growing stronger, following Kraush's intentions.
So that when a crisis struck someday, he could overcome it.
"Then I will definitely break through."
With those words, black flames rose from Kraush's sword.
The student commander of the Geohaedan, the Commoner's Hero, Felray.
The divine figure of Rahelrn Academy, the Second Year President of the Martial Arts Department, Kraush Balheim.
The moment the two clashed.
* * *
The garden built in front of the White Lamb Order building.
There was a massive hemisphere space there, cut off from other spaces.
That space was made entirely of pitch-black shadows.
Inside that shadow space.
The sound of constant explosions and battles echoed within.
At the center of the noise was a girl with dark blue hair flying in the wind.
She was dashing through the hemispherical space of dark blue hair.
She was none other than the Sword Star, Charlotte Balheim.
At that moment, shadow pillars poured down on her from the walls of the shadow space.
Charlotte evaded all the falling shadow pillars with only slight movements, undeterred.
At first, she cut down the shadow pillars a few times.
But the shadows, like water, stretched out again regardless of being cut.
So Charlotte chose to evade instead of wasting energy swinging her sword.
"It really looks like dancing."
A boy with black hair and red eyes watched Charlotte.
Zodiac Cloria.
Holding a black scythe made of shadows, he grinned widely as he looked at Charlotte.
His skill, 'Umbra.'
This was the shadow space he had created, where he could freely manipulate shadows.
The thick shadow walls were immune to physical attacks, so no matter how much they were cut, they immediately regenerated.
Therefore, the only condition for leaving this place for the swordsman was one thing.
To defeat Zodiac.
However, that was not an easy task.
One reason was that Zodiac's close combat skills were not weak.
Clang!
The other reason was the man currently clashing swords with Charlotte.
"Charlotte, your sword always feels so heavy!"
A man with a vulgar laugh and blonde hair fluttering.
Heizen Handriksen.
Strangely, he was using the exact same swordsmanship as Charlotte.
His skill, 'Exigo.'
A skill that mimicked the opponent's secret technique exactly, and if the user's level surpassed the opponent's, it could even replicate their habits and mannerisms.
However, as much as it allowed him to copy others' abilities, the strain it placed on his body was a significant drawback.
But currently, Heizen's drawback was being compensated by something else.
It was none other than Zodiac's shadow armor that he was wearing.
The shadow armor perfectly supported his body, penetrating even inside him.
Thanks to it, his body was able to execute Charlotte's swordsmanship, which was at a much higher level than his own.
Charlotte's icy gaze turned toward Heizen.
"Eek."
Seeing that, Heizen immediately kicked off the ground, and at that spot, a surge of sword airflow erupted.
But it was only for a moment.
Charlotte had to deflect another sword swinging toward her back.
Boom!
The impact from the descending sword this time was on a completely different level.
Even Charlotte, who had blocked the sword, felt her arm go numb from the sheer force.
Her eyes caught sight of someone.
There stood a woman radiating pure white energy.
Beautiful sea-colored hair.
Eyes shining like sapphire.
A woman with such a beautiful face that anyone seeing her for the first time would unconsciously exclaim in admiration.
The 3rd Princess of the Empire, Sigrid Ephania.
One of the Ten Great Heavenly Swords.
She, wielding the 'White Dragon's Fang,' had attacked Charlotte.
Crack!
At that moment, part of the sword Charlotte was holding froze.
The White Dragon's Cold Air, inherent to the royal bloodline, flowed out of the White Dragon's Fang.
As the swirling sword airflow around Charlotte twisted, the White Dragon's Aura burst forth from Sigrid.
Clang!
The clash between Charlotte's sword airflow and Sigrid's White Dragon's Aura created a deafening noise.
Neither side's power was superior, but both forces simultaneously dissipated.
Charlotte's specialty, the Secret Technique Counter Realm, which showed the greatest power in multi-opponent battles, had been nullified.
"You look terrible."
Sigrid, smiling faintly beyond the White Dragon's Fang, had her sword deflected by Charlotte.
Then, immediately, as Charlotte swung her sword, a shadow pillar rose in front of Sigrid.
Clang!
This time, a shadow pillar in solid form, not liquid, collided with Charlotte's sword.
Of course, it only bought a little time, but Sigrid used that moment to retreat.
Meanwhile, shadow pillars began to pour down again.
Between the shadow pillars, Sigrid and Heizen persistently attacked Charlotte.
They made her keep fighting without rest, preserving their own stamina.
'Persistent.'
Charlotte did not think of it as cowardly.
Because nothing was more foolish than choosing methods against a strong opponent.
The only problem was Sigrid, more than anyone else.
'I have a bad feeling about this.'
Sigrid was already one of the strongest at Rahelrn Academy.
Whether intentional or not.
Sigrid had always kept a certain distance without direct confrontation with Charlotte.
Perhaps because of that, Charlotte didn't know Sigrid's exact skill level.
But now that they were clashing directly, she understood.
Why their names were always mentioned together at Rahelrn Academy.
'It wasn't for nothing.'
Sigrid was strong.
The White Dragon's power, unique to the Ephania royal family, made Sigrid's body fundamentally different from ordinary people.
Like the Heavenly Martial Body, commonly referred to as a blessed physique.
Among the royal bloodline, Sigrid possessed the strongest White Dragon's power.
Because of that, the cold air naturally emanating from her body was so intense that even Charlotte couldn't approach carelessly.
Moreover, the aura inherent to the White Dragon's bloodline had an overwhelming force.
If it weren't Charlotte, most people would either bow their heads or fall into fear upon facing Sigrid.
The White Dragon's Aura that Sigrid possessed was an overwhelming ability.
Above all, the reason Charlotte felt uneasy was something else.
'Her sword is getting heavier and heavier as time passes.'
The more Charlotte clashed swords with Sigrid, the stronger Sigrid's sword became.
In fact, compared to the beginning, Sigrid's sword had grown nearly three times stronger.
Even Charlotte couldn't pinpoint the exact reason.
Because she didn't know the source of Sigrid's strange swordsmanship.
But Charlotte was certain of one thing.
'If it becomes ten times stronger than the beginning.'
Charlotte would no longer be able to block Sigrid's sword.
And it didn't seem like it would take long for that to happen.
She was surprised.
Who would have thought she'd sense defeat at Rahelrn Academy?
'Interesting.'
And for some reason, the corners of her mouth lifted.
Normally, one would make mistakes out of anxiety, but Charlotte was different.
Because she was Charlotte Balheim.
Her face twisted like a demon's.
How far could she go all out?
She decided to test it.