TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 68
‘It should be enough.’
Kraush, who had waited until Pendal exerted his full power before deliberately smashing him to pieces, lifted his foot off Pendal’s chest, where the latter’s face was flushed with shame.
However, Pendal didn’t seem inclined to rise.
Rather, he looked as though staying down was less embarrassing.
Leaving Pendal in that state, Kraush turned to the surrounding crowd and shouted.
“I am Kraush Balheim, the one who defeated Nakcheon, and I am looking for raiders to join me in conquering the 8th floor.”
For a moment, all eyes focused on Kraush.
“Come find me anytime. If you know your way around the Demonic Bastion, I’ll take you along. Anyone who wants the glory of crossing to the 8th floor with me is welcome.”
With that, Kraush turned away.
He noticed Pendal’s gang rushing over to help him up, but Kraush didn’t particularly care.
Instead, only one person who had been watching him throughout the fight came to mind.
‘Lakradiyon.’
The swordsman who could have been the last light of the Demonic Bastion.
If Pendal was the darkness, she was the light of the Demonic Bastion.
A light that all raiders of the Demonic Bastion admired and hoped would someday conquer it.
And during the year Kraush had spent in the Demonic Bastion in the past, she was the swordsman whose name he had heard the most.
Though by then, Lakradiyon had already laid down her sword and become a faded shadow of her former self.
Pendal remained as the darkness, but Lakradiyon, being the light, eventually lost her brilliance and crumbled.
After laying down her sword, she was nothing more than a merchant running a small shop in the Demonic Bastion.
[If you leave him like that, won’t he go on a rampage seeking revenge? Are you okay with that?]
At that moment, Crimson Garden perched on Kraush’s shoulder and asked.
Kraush responded with a light laugh.
“That’s exactly what I’m waiting for.”
[What a nasty personality you have.]
Pendal’s skill, Lioner.
It was an electromancy ability Kraush could confidently say Pendal couldn’t even use half as effectively.
Kraush intended to steal that skill from Pendal.
The dials that appeared for Pendal were three in total.
[Evoke jealousy.]
The first was jealousy.
Ironically, this condition was already fulfilled simply because Kraush was a Balheim.
[Be acknowledged as more than a rival.]
The second was rivalry.
In any way possible, Pendal had to truly regard Kraush as a rival.
‘They really love throwing vague conditions at me.’
Even after the recent battle, Pendal’s second dial hadn’t been unlocked.
Clearly, it didn’t mean Pendal had genuinely acknowledged Kraush in his heart.
‘Well, more opportunities will come.’
That moment when he is acknowledged as more than a rival would eventually arrive.
Kraush decided to wait patiently for that time.
After all, until his business in the Demonic Bastion was complete, he would continue encountering Pendal.
While one reason Kraush sought a team to descend the Demonic Bastion was that it was a challenging place to traverse alone,
another was to lure Pendal.
During his days in the Demonic Bastion,
Kraush had experienced similar situations simply because he was a Balheim.
Of course, back then, Kraush himself wasn’t the one who ended up fighting.
It was none other than Aniks Graiza who clashed with Pendal.
Hearing that Belorkin had acquired the Rain Thunder Prime, Aniks, hoping to scavenge additional benefits, had led the Starlon group, including Kraush, to the Demonic Bastion.
That day, Pendal naturally picked a fight with Aniks, only to be utterly smashed by him.
Even after that, Pendal persistently sought revenge against Aniks by any means, only to be defeated again and forced to flee the Demonic Bastion.
Because of such events, Kraush remembered Pendal’s tendencies, skills, and characteristics well.
Remembering such things happened to be Kraush’s specialty.
Thanks to that, defeating Pendal had been easy.
It wouldn’t have been this simple for someone else.
‘Though the situation now is completely different from back then.’
Kraush believed that Pendal hadn’t changed much from those days.
‘If things escalate, they will escalate.’
Of course, whatever outcome awaited wouldn’t be favorable for Pendal.
Kraush’s eyes quietly gleamed in the darkness.
＊ ＊ ＊
To cut to the conclusion,
things didn’t resolve as easily as expected.
Kraush gazed at Bianca, who was idly reading the new book he’d bought for her.
Unfortunately, no one had come forward to join Kraush’s raid on the 8th floor.
Pendal had indeed been defeated by Kraush.
But even so, Kraush was ultimately someone destined to leave the Demonic Bastion.
Pendal wasn’t going to disappear from the Demonic Bastion.
Thus, no raiders wanted to side with Kraush, as it meant earning Pendal’s enmity.
“You have something on your mouth.”
Unbothered, Kraush wiped the chocolate smeared on Bianca’s face, which he’d bought for her a few days ago.
Bianca’s head tilted this way and that, following Kraush’s movements.
By now, she seemed entirely accustomed to Kraush’s actions.
Then, Bianca turned to look at Kraush.
“Are you going to keep waiting?”
“Something like that.”
Still young, Bianca didn’t fully understand what Kraush was striving toward.
She was simply by his side because she was with him.
That wasn’t all bad, but at times, she wanted to feel like she was helping him.
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
Kraush widened his eyes slightly before letting out a soft chuckle.
“What could you possibly help with?”
Unlike Kraush, Bianca knew nothing about combat or related knowledge.
But curious about how this little girl intended to help, Kraush asked with interest, and Bianca stood up.
Then, without hesitation, she plopped herself down in the center of the chair Kraush had been sitting on.
For a moment, Kraush froze at her unexpected action, her soft hair brushing against him as she leaned forward.
“They say human warmth helps relieve tension.”
“…Did you read that in a book?”
“Yes.”
Her reply was blunt.
Still, she seemed pleased, as her legs swung gently back and forth beneath the table.
With an amused expression, Kraush slowly raised a hand and patted Bianca’s head.
Her legs began to swing a little faster.
It somewhat reminded him of a wagging puppy tail.
‘It seems like she’s expressing emotions more freely now that she’s learning to let go.’
Considering how Bianca had lived her life suppressing her emotions, seeing her this way was oddly gratifying.
“Um…”
At that moment, a voice reached Kraush’s ears.
Realizing that the one he’d been waiting for had finally arrived, Kraush turned his head.
Standing there was a woman.
Her hair, a mix of black and gold, was tied back, and a sword hung at her waist.
The only person in the Demonic Bastion who could stand shoulder to shoulder with Pendalroad alone.
It was Lakradiyon.
Perhaps she had been training until morning.
Her clothes were covered in dust.
Yet, her emerald eyes still shone vividly.
At last, the long-awaited guest had arrived.
Kraush kept his expression steady as he looked at her.
However, maintaining his expression was one thing; Bianca was already sitting right in front of him.
When Kraush lightly tapped Bianca’s shoulder, she only scooted closer, pressing her seat further.
She had no intention of backing off.
Though it was slightly unseemly, Kraush dismissed it as a child’s tantrum and decided to just talk.
“Do you have some business with me?”
When Kraush asked, Lakradiyon carefully opened her mouth to speak.
“I want to help with the conquest of the eighth floor.”
Sure enough, the words he had been waiting for were spoken.
Hearing this, Kraush slightly opened his sleepy eyes.
“You’ll be opposing Pendal. Are you okay with that? That guy will almost certainly try to interfere.”
Considering Pendal had already been defeated by Kraush, the idea of Kraush succeeding in conquering the eighth floor?
From Pendal’s perspective, it would be an unbearable blow to his pride.
Naturally, there was no way he’d just let it happen.
Lakradiyon surely wasn’t unaware of this fact.
Yet, her gaze remained resolute.
“It doesn’t matter. Both Pendal and I are cowards. Once the eighth-floor conquest is over, he’ll retreat with his tail between his legs.”
Pendal and Lakradiyon had once been on the same team, raiding the Demonic Bastion together.
Because of this, both of them knew.
They understood exactly how they had been defeated by the ghostly monster Nakcheon on the eighth floor.
“So, even though you’re the same coward, you’re saying you’ll come to the eighth floor with me?”
“Yes, because I want to stop being a coward.”
That was enough.
“Alright. Lakradiyon, let’s go together.”
“…So you knew my name.”
“You know my name too, don’t you? If you’re aiming to raid the eighth floor of the Demonic Bastion, wouldn’t you at least have that much sense?”
Lakradiyon didn’t deny it.
“But I’m only at the entrance of the Demonic Bastion. The place is full of traps, and I don’t think you’ll be able to disarm all of them on your own.”
“I have an acquaintance who’s an expert in that area.”
Seeing her quick wit, Kraush smirked.
While it wasn’t Kraush’s first time at the entrance of the Demonic Bastion, even he didn’t know all the traps there.
“Great. I’ll leave that to your friend, then.”
The preparations were complete.
Now, the conquest itself was all that remained.
It was time to defeat Nakcheon and claim the Rain Thunder Prime.
And, as a bonus, Pendal’s skills as well.
[＊ ＊ ＊]
News of the Demonic Bastion’s light, Lakradiyon, partnering with the Balheim Direct Line spread like wildfire.
It was only natural—Kraush had always waited among the raider groups, and now Lakradiyon herself had appeared before him.
After the team including Lakradiyon and Pendal had been shattered by Nakcheon on the eighth floor.
Since then, Lakradiyon hadn’t entered the Demonic Bastion again, focusing solely on honing her sword skills.
Everyone believed that someday she would return to the Demonic Bastion, but she never did.
Just as her fame began to fade bit by bit.
She had decided to enter the Demonic Bastion alongside none other than the Balheim Direct Line.
“Didn’t Pendal get beaten by the Balheim Direct Line?”
“Is the Balheim Direct Line really that great? So, is Lakradiyon just riding their coattails to regain her fame?”
Some people dismissed Lakradiyon in this way.
However, those who knew the prowess Lakradiyon had once demonstrated in the Demonic Bastion, and the monstrosity that was Nakcheon, all shook their heads.
If it were merely for that reason, she would have returned to the Demonic Bastion long ago.
People believed that Lakradiyon had found a new light through the Balheim Direct Line.
Everyone thought so.
Boom!
Upon hearing the news, Pendal slammed his desk.
In front of the blackout curtains dimming the sunlight, Pendal gritted his teeth, a bandage stuck to his jaw.
“La… Lakradiyon. That bastard, after seeing that disgrace, she’s teaming up with that guy?”
Pendal felt a deep sense of betrayal from Lakradiyon.
Despite being crushed by Nakcheon just like he was, she had immediately sided with Kraush after witnessing his defeat.
He couldn’t wrap his head around it.
Pendal harbored an unspoken inferiority complex toward Lakradiyon.
Unlike Pendal, who was treated as darkness for his cruel ways, Lakradiyon had always wielded her sword like a bright light.
Even though she had fallen just like him, seeing her pick up the sword again filled Pendal with both resentment and fear.
If she rose again after falling alongside him, Pendal would be utterly ruined.
And now, she was returning to the Demonic Bastion.
With none other than the Balheim Direct Line who had humiliated him.
Grit!
Grinding his teeth again, Pendal raised his fist.
Then, without warning, he punched himself in the face.
“Damn.”
It was time to stop wallowing in inferiority.
Whether he had been beaten by the Balheim Direct Line no longer mattered.
“…Did you think I would let that slide?”
The one goal he had always pursued.
To one day defeat Nakcheon, the sole reason Pendalord had been created.
He wouldn’t allow Nakcheon to fall to someone else.
‘Hesitation ends today.’
Ironically, the news of Lakradiyon and Kraush challenging Nakcheon reignited Pendal’s determination to face Nakcheon once more.
Passing by the shattered desk, he flung the door open with a bang.
The gang members gathered outside flinched and hurriedly moved out of his way.
“…We’re going into the Demonic Bastion.”
Hearing Pendal’s next words, one by one, his gang members turned to look at him.
Despite having created Pendalord to challenge Nakcheon, he had always hesitated to take the final step.
The eyes of all the Pendalord members changed.
“Boss, you’ve finally made up your mind.”
“Haha, yeah! We can’t just let someone else take our prey.”
“Our boss may be flawed, but at least he’s good at this!”
As the morale of Pendalord soared, Pendal let out a hollow laugh before narrowing his eyes.
“Fine. We’ll take down Nakcheon before those bastards and claim the Rain Thunder Prime.”
It was the moment the entire Demonic Bastion began to stir.