Chapter 235
The moment Kraush collided with Glen.
In front of Sigrid.
A girl with dark blue hair was reflected.
Sword Star, Charlotte Balheim.
To those who had experienced her, that name was a symbol of fear.
Because countless geniuses doubted their own talents, crumbled, and were broken before her.
And among them.
Sigrid of the past was also one of those people.
Sigrid Ephania, who was praised from the moment she was born.
She thought of herself as the center of the world, and thus she was always confident.
And in her brilliant life, she met Arthur Gramalte.
The Hero King who protected the world.
The center of the Skyborne Generation.
Becoming the partner of such a man, Sigrid realized once again.
Ah, I am a special person.
But there was just one thing.
There was one person who shattered all of her specialness.
The pinnacle of talent.
Someone even Arthur hesitated to clash with unnecessarily.
Charlotte Balheim.
It was her.
Kwoooom!
A deafening roar resounded.
The floor tiles laid by Rahelrn Academy had already been shattered, with dirt and sand rising up.
The surrounding gardens were left filled with only soil.
Amid the rising dust clouds.
Kwoooom!
Another deafening roar echoed.
Amid such roars, two women were revealed.
One was the Sword Star, Charlotte Balheim, with her dark blue hair fluttering.
The other was the 3rd Princess of the Empire, Sigrid Ephania, with her sea-colored hair fluttering.
Their battle was so intense that even those watching from afar shuddered.
Charlotte's azure aura, like the sky, tore through the air.
Sigrid's pure white aura, like the White Dragon, tore through the air.
As their swords clashed, another wave of power erupted, devastating the surroundings.
Charlotte's eyes furrowed.
Because the force from Sigrid's clash made her arm tingle.
"It seems like you're nearing your limit, doesn't it?"
In contrast, Sigrid was smiling.
With a composed demeanor, she was releasing increasingly stronger power from her body.
Her innate body and aura, called the bloodline of the White Dragon.
To that, she added the White Dragon's Fang, one of the Ten Great Heavenly Swords.
And even the Secret Technique, Sword Light, of the former Sword Emperor.
As a result, Sigrid possessed an absurd level of strength, close to being called the strongest.
If Sizelry Ephania, the 4th Princess of the Royal Family's bloodline, reached the pinnacle of intellectual talent.
The 3rd Princess, Sigrid Ephania, reached the pinnacle of physical talent.
Kwoooom!
Once again, the clash of their two swords caused a thunderous roar.
Crack!
At the same time, the crack on Charlotte's sword, which had collided, deepened further.
It was evidence that her sword was nearing its limit.
Before her, Sigrid's pupils curved into a crescent shape.
Before the regression.
On the day she first met Charlotte, Sigrid was shocked.
A genius born to be loved by the world.
She always thought that was herself.
But the moment she stood before Charlotte, all those thoughts were shattered.
[Is it you? The so-called Sword of the Royal Family.]
Sigrid, who was always respected by everyone, for the first time faced a gaze that looked down on her that day.
The moment Sigrid, unable to accept that, raised her sword before Charlotte.
[So, this is it.]
She faced herself, rolling miserably on the ground.
Even back then, Sigrid had reached the peak of talent that no one could easily surpass.
At Rahelrn Academy, aside from Arthur, no one could defeat her, and she always reigned above.
She thought of herself as the center of everything in the world.
But that day, Sigrid realized who the world loved most.
And so, she hated Charlotte.
Because before her peer, Charlotte, her own talent always felt insignificant.
She hated her, hated her, and hated her.
Yet even such a pinnacle of talent, Charlotte, eventually died.
But even such a heroic death became a legend.
The Sword Master, the strongest being alive, was said to have defeated the Skyborne Generation alone.
Before him, Charlotte raised her sword.
And after killing the Sword Master, she reached her limit and finally breathed her last.
Before that sight, the entire Skyborne Generation trembled and was overwhelmed.
Even Arthur remarked.
[If Charlotte had been alive, the outcome might have been a little different.]
Faced with the end called destruction, Arthur spoke calmly.
Regretting that he could only use Charlotte in such a way every time.
And so, Charlotte remained a legend.
The world's greatest genius defeated the strongest being alive and then fell into a sleep where no one could defeat her anymore.
Sigrid hated that fact to the point of madness.
The existence of Charlotte always seemed to erase her own.
But now.
The world where Charlotte remained a legend no longer exists.
Because she had regressed following Arthur.
'Even someone as special as you.'
Could not enjoy the right called regression and was completely erased from this world.
Just like back then, the current Charlotte undoubtedly possessed dazzling talent.
Seeing that brilliant talent reminded her of the past.
But what Charlotte had was only such radiant talent.
Sigrid, on the other hand, had the added specialness of regression.
And now, that added specialness was overwhelming Charlotte.
Sigrid had considered the possibility that Charlotte, like herself, might have regressed in some way.
The thought that she might have regressed had worried her more than once.
Because Fake Arthur, acting as Arthur's proxy, had said so.
But now that they were fighting, she understood.
'This woman did not regress.'
The situations revolving around her were suspicious.
But now that she had faced her directly today, she could tell.
Charlotte did not regress.
The only one who returned was herself.
Then, were all the changes revolving around Charlotte merely coincidences?
Regrettably, that wasn't the case.
However, at this moment, none of that mattered.
Charlotte could not return.
And she had returned.
That signified the establishment of an unbridgeable wall between herself and Charlotte.
'I am the one who returned from the end of the world.'
Crack!
Another crack formed on Charlotte's sword.
'You couldn't return.'
Crack-crack-crack!
The crack deepened, eventually covering the entire sword.
'Charlotte, all the fame and positions you were building are now mine!'
Finally.
Clang!
The sword, unable to withstand Sigrid's power, shattered into pieces.
The fragments of the broken sword scattered, glowing white and blue as they followed Sigrid's and Charlotte's aura.
Amidst the scene that was, at a glance, somewhat beautiful.
Charlotte's and Sigrid's pupils met as if crossing paths.
In Charlotte's empty grip.
The blue aura, now without a place to go, dispersed.
Meanwhile, from Sigrid's White Dragon's Fang, an even more intense white aura poured out.
That single moment of opportunity.
Sigrid did not miss it and thrust the White Dragon's Fang at Charlotte.
Behind Sigrid, wings coated in a white film unfolded.
The white aura imbued in her sword froze everything around it as it extended into three streams of white light.
Before Charlotte's eyes.
In that moment, when the three streams of white light filled her vision.
White Dragon Heavenly Overcome.
Third Form.
White Dragon Three Fangs.
The three streams of white light engulfed everything along with Charlotte.
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!
The sword fragments were utterly smashed, scattering the surroundings.
Within the surging condensed white aura.
Sigrid stood leisurely in that spot, her sea-colored hair shining as she smiled.
On the other hand, Charlotte was obscured by the smoke, unable to be seen.
"Sword Saint, was it?"
Following the blowing wind, the smoke gradually began to clear.
And when the wind slowly disappeared.
Dark blue hair quietly fluttered.
"So this is all there is to it."
The same words she had heard that day.
The moment Sigrid uttered those words, Charlotte finally came into view.
On her chest and body were two streaks of sword wounds.
The blood flowing from there looked dangerous at a glance.
It was evident to anyone that Charlotte's defeat was certain.
Yet, Sigrid found the situation slightly displeasing.
Despite the sword breaking, Charlotte had managed to block one of the three fangs of the White Dragon Three Fangs.
But it didn't matter.
If she blocked one, she would simply engrave it again.
From Sigrid's sword, the White Dragon's aura began to surge once more.
Charlotte's eyes followed Sigrid's White Dragon's Fang upward.
"Don't worry. I'll finish this quickly."
Sigrid raised her sword for the final strike.
"Ha."
Charlotte, who had been blankly watching it, suddenly let out a sound.
When Sigrid, puzzled by its meaning, slightly furrowed her brows.
Despite the wounds engraved on her body, Charlotte staggered and stood on her two feet.
"I wasn't planning to use it since it was a gift from my younger sibling."
"What?"
As if questioning what nonsense she was spouting in this situation, Sigrid expressed her doubt.
Charlotte lightly tapped her waist.
Then, the lid of the pouch attached to her waist opened.
At that moment, Sigrid realized what it was.
A subspace artifact.
It was an item of considerable expense.
"What sort of struggle is this?"
Before Sigrid, who saw it, could even frown.
Shiver!
She felt a sense of something wrong.
And the moment she felt that, Sigrid swung her sword without a shred of hesitation.
This feeling always led to the worst outcomes.
Sigrid's outstretched sword scattered white aura as it launched the final strike at Charlotte.
The sword, laden with the Sword Emperor's secret technique and countless layers of sword light, was now beyond Charlotte's capacity to block.
No matter what she pulled out, her victory was assured.
The sword, filled with that certainty, charged toward Charlotte.
Clang!
And something touched the tip of the White Dragon's Fang.
As Sigrid questioned what had touched her sword's tip, she felt her sword slowly being pushed back.
"Ugh!?"
What she faced next was an overwhelming amount of divine power.
Thump-
Sigrid felt her heart pounding violently.
She knew the source of this sensation.
It wasn't her own, but an unsettling feeling engraved deep within her bloodline.
"Why do you have that!?"
In front of the shouting Sigrid.
Charlotte was holding a sword.
A white sword with golden decorations, vaguely resembling the White Dragon's Fang.
However, the divine power surging from that sword indicated it was entirely different from the White Dragon's Fang.
Holy Sword.
The sword once called the treasure of the Holy Kingdom Freeman.
And the sword that Freeman had handed over to Kraush as if discarding it was now in Charlotte's grasp.
"Because my younger sibling gave it to me as a gift."
Charlotte nonchalantly spun the Holy Sword in her hand.
Then, the divine power emanating from the Holy Sword was absorbed into Charlotte's body, forcibly restoring her physique.
Meanwhile, Charlotte looked at the Holy Sword with a hint of regret.
"I tried to cherish it since it was a gift. But the sword is broken, so I can't."
I gave it to her specifically to use against Sigrid in this Confrontation.
Yet, Charlotte absurdly cherished it as a gift instead.
Meanwhile, Sigrid ground her teeth in frustration at the unsettling emotions welling up inside her.
It was because the blood of the Royal Family reacted every time they saw the Holy Sword.
Simultaneously, anger surged within her eyes.
The sword of Arthur, who should be the center of the world and absolutely flawless, was in her hands.
That was something Sigrid could never accept.
"That doesn't belong to you!"
Arthur Gramalte.
Only he should wield the Holy Sword.
The Holy Sword belongs to the Hero King Arthur.
"Hand it over!"
Sigrid's eyes turned white.
Moreover, the aura emanating from her grew even more intense than before.
Crackle!
The aura surging around Sigrid was so strong that sparks visibly flew.
For a moment, white scales seemed to sprout on Sigrid's face.
Her pupils also sharpened, resembling those of a lizard.
Clang!
However, something repelled Sigrid's aura.
It was none other than the force emanating from Charlotte.
The storm-like force Charlotte unleashed was different from before.
It was because the Power of Divinity, an additional effect of the Holy Sword, amplified her strength.
Sigrid's eyes widened.
It was because Charlotte wielded the Holy Sword as if it were her own.
That sword should only be handled by Arthur.
As if denying Sigrid's pre-Regression past, Charlotte casually wielded the Holy Sword.
"What nonsense."
Charlotte glared at Sigrid with an extremely displeased expression.
"This was given to me by my brother."
It seemed she had touched the one thing she absolutely shouldn't have.
Sigrid saw the most annoyed face of Charlotte she had ever witnessed in her life.
"Then."
Amid the explosive force, Sigrid's eyes turned cold.
"I guess I'll have to take it."
And just as Sigrid was about to swing her sword again.
Boom!
At the sound, both Sigrid and Charlotte flinched.
When the two turned their heads with annoyed expressions, what they saw was unexpected.
There stood a massive golem.
A golem so enormous its head touched the clouds.
That golem had already approached right in front of the White Lamb Order Building, raising both its fists.
"Huh?"
At that moment, Sigrid let out a stunned sound.
Then, without hesitation, the golem's fists came crashing down toward the building.
Boom!
With the impact of its fists, the building crumbled to pieces, leaving the surroundings in ruins.
At that moment, Sigrid and Charlotte, caught in the aftermath, disappeared into the smoke.
Whoosh!
The aura bursting from Sigrid instantly dispersed the smoke.
Sigrid's face was twisted like a demon's.
It was because the White Lamb Order Building was smashed to pieces in her eyes.
"Who dares!"
And as she shouted, she noticed there was no one around her.
At some point, Charlotte had vanished.
That woman had run away.
The reason Charlotte left was simple.
It wasn't because she thought she would lose.
It was simply because she didn't want to dirty the Holy Sword that Kraush had given her.
"You!"
As Sigrid reached this conclusion, her anger flared, and she tried to chase after Charlotte.
But the golem was raising its fists again.
She was the Student Commander of the White Lamb Order.
While her fight with Charlotte was important, she couldn't allow the White Lamb Order to be destroyed.
More than that, there was something weighing on Sigrid's mind even more than Charlotte.
'Kraush Balheim.'
As Sigrid moved, she thought of Charlotte's younger brother, who had given her the Holy Sword.
'Did he become Freeman's Hero just to obtain the Holy Sword?'
Sigrid's mind was in turmoil.
Sigrid was beginning to suspect that Charlotte might not be a Regressor.
That was why she had willingly confronted Charlotte directly in today's battle to confirm it.
As a result, she could be certain today that Charlotte was not a Regressor.
Then, who had orchestrated this situation until now?
Her suspicions were gradually, unconsciously, shifting toward Kraush.
It was because the events caused by Kraush were far greater than those caused by Charlotte.
'...Could it be, could that Cursed One? Really?'
However, regardless of her doubts, Sigrid couldn't possibly accept this fact.
After all, Kraush Balheim had died, pathetically calling out Arthur's name in front of her eyes, perishing with the world's destruction.
How could someone who had died be here now?
She couldn't readily accept this fact.
Her preconceived notions from her memories before the Regression.
Because of them, even though all the evidence pointed to Kraush, she was denying it in her heart.
Kraush's actions so far had been truly radical.
Even Arthur hadn't shown such actions at this point in time.
Kraush was achieving tremendous results, as if he had surpassed even Arthur.
In fact, the world was changing too much because of Kraush's actions.
However, to Sigrid, Kraush was forever the Cursed One.
A foul-tempered man with no other talent than stealing curses.
Such preconceptions constantly ignored and belittled Kraush's changes.
It was a kind of defense mechanism for her.
The Cursed One Kraush, whom she had ignored her entire life.
If he were to prevent the world's destruction.
Wouldn't that mean those who failed to stop it were beneath the Cursed One they had dismissed?
If it were Charlotte, perhaps she could accept it.
But if Kraush, who had always been beneath her, managed to prevent the destruction.
Sigrid wouldn't be able to bear that fact.
That was why, even when evidence suggested Kraush might be a Regressor, she consistently denied it.
'There's no way!'
The center of the world is me.
Sigrid had lived her entire life without doubting this thought.
Even as cracks slowly began to form in that belief, she continued to proclaim herself as the center, ignoring them.
There was no way Kraush Balheim could have regressed, nor could he save this world from destruction.
Because it was something she herself had failed to do.
'Lord Arthur, where, where are you?'
For some reason, Arthur had yet to reveal himself.
Her lover, and the one who could elevate Sigrid's self-esteem the most, Arthur.
The sword he wielded was now in the hands of Charlotte, the person she hated most.
And that Charlotte was someone chosen by Kraush.
That fact increasingly made it feel as though Arthur and she were unnecessary in this world.
From deep within her heart, she felt an extremely unsettling and intense sensation.
"Ugh."
She momentarily felt her mind become hazy.
Something immense, beyond her understanding, was unfolding.
As if she were a detached figure unable to intervene in anything within this world.
At some point, she began to feel abandoned.
'No.'
Denial filled Sigrid's eyes.
She was the center of this world.
That was an unchanging truth.
Yet, somehow, that truth was gradually slipping further away.
'No, that's not true.......'
Perhaps Sigrid had already been broken for a long time.
Back then, as she helplessly watched the world collapse, unable to do anything.
She doubted herself as the center of the world and doubted Arthur, who was her equal as the center.
The reason why she, who had loved Arthur more than anyone else, was not actively seeking him at this point.
Perhaps it was because she was turning her doubts into certainty.
Kraush was an astute person.
His ability to see through what someone was subconsciously thinking was exceptional.
And this time, Kraush's insight accurately pierced through Sigrid.
She was not normal.
Because she had been corroding herself from within for a long time.
I'm the center of the world, so it's fine!
She desperately clung to that thought.
"No....... No, that's not true......."
Sigrid, who had failed to protect the world, could not escape the trauma of destruction.
The sight of everything she held burning was shocking even to her.
Today's battle violently shook her already fragile mind.
And the one shaking it was none other than Kraush.
She forced herself to suppress her anxiety and moved forward.
She had to quickly divert her mind elsewhere.
Sigrid was falling apart like that.