### Chapter: 422
Ashen flas rippled across the area.
The humans had sensed Kraush’s blow and were already trying to dodge.
However, a few gods weren’t quick enough and ended up eting their end in the chaos.
On top of the corpses of the fallen gods, a thick gray mist filled the surroundings.
Normally, one would sharpen their senses due to the obscured visibility, but
Kraush didn’t need to do that right now.
Because inside that fog,
the starlight of Gwaejon was clearly felt.
‘Here it cos.’
The mont he sensed that, Gwaejon burst through the smoke, appearing right before Kraush.
With a flash of starlight, he launched a super-fast slashing attack.
Kraush instantly parried the sword that had co right in front of him.
Clang!
The sound of swords clashing resonated, shaking both the air and the ground simultaneously.
The collision of the two was practically a natural disaster at this point.
Nearby gods and humans stepped back, fearing they would get swept up in the chaos.
In the anti, Kraush quickly assessed Gwaejon’s condition.
At point-blank range, he unleashed an explosive burst of power.
Naturally, Gwaejon wasn’t unscathed either.
His withering body resembled that of an ancient tree, charred and riddled with burn marks.
Notably, he had sustained a significant blow to his chest, leaving a dent.
After all the ti spent, Gwaejon’s body had beco frail and frazzled.
If it were a body in its pri, it might have been a different story.
At this state, even if the gods enhanced their regenerative abilities, it would still be slow due to the natural lifespan constraints.
‘Considering he fought both my father and the Empress of the Empire before,’
Gwaejon’s body had likely seen most of its lifespan consud by then.
His clashes with the Sanctuary’s two were a significant drain for him as well.
Yet, Gwaejon was still moving nimbly.
The God of War inhabiting him wouldn’t care if Gwaejon died;
It was here for a purpose, assaulting Kraush relentlessly, regardless of how much more damage Gwaejon’s body could sustain.
‘Death ans nothing to . It’s all about this!’
Kraush deflected Gwaejon’s sword once more, taking a breath.
On his sword, his techniques and glowing sword light began to shine more vividly.
The swords of Gwaejon and Kraush danced back and forth like a wild lody.
Gwaejon’s swordsmanship was truly unfathomable, honed through countless experiences in the realms of the universe.
He executed techniques no ordinary human could possibly replicate.
The sword painted the skies.
The sword upturned the earth.
Techniques that transford the very fabric of nature were unleashed by Gwaejon.
At first, Kraush was simply focused on keeping up with Gwaejon’s blows.
Even as Kraush entered the realm of skills,
in pure swordsmanship, he was quite obviously at a disadvantage.
Gwaejon’s sword techniques had reached the pinnacle of the essence of a true warrior.
Kraush couldn’t help but admire the mastery of Gwaejon’s swordsmanship.
However, aside from that, Kraush was gradually closing the gap with Gwaejon.
Gwaejon’s eyebrows knitted in disbelief.
Initially, Kraush had been struggling just to block his sword.
How was he suddenly keeping pace with Gwaejon’s swordsmanship in this short period?
Had Kraush grown during the battle?
Unfortunately for Gwaejon, no—Kraush lacked that kind of talent.
Once looked down upon as a disgrace in Balheim,
Kraush had only instincts forged by life experiences and instincts to rely upon.
Everything from Kraush’s strength to his situational judgnt sprung from hard-earned effort and experience.
And right now,
it was that essence of effort that made Kraush formidable.
Before regression, in the generations of the sky, Kraush had seen more skills than anyone else.
While others focused solely on their own skills,
Kraush noted those of others since he had lacked strength himself.
So, should a ti of ergency arise, he could utilize new directions of others’ skills to survive.
Kraush constantly pondered and considered every situation.
His ability to rapidly adapt and capitalize on skills after regression stemd from the information he had accumulated over ti.
Of course, even a brain as sharp as Kraush’s had limits in skill application.
Realizing this, he lded the stolen techniques he had taken in the past into one skill.
But that didn’t an Kraush forgot any of the skills he had claid.
Kraush’s eyes read Gwaejon’s moves.
The eyes that pierced through lies and predicted the future gathered information independently.
Kraush accelerated his movent, enhancing his speed through winds created by his legs.
He reinforced his blood and muscles and increased the strength of his bones, maximizing his body’s efficiency.
His field of vision expanded, and he endowed each finger with attributes, widening his coping techniques.
Judgnt, cognition—all aspects began to be maximized through the effects of his skills.
Kraush’s Ignis surged violently through his entirety.
The wind fueled the flas of Ignis even more, while the wood rapidly rejuvenated, becoming kindling.
A bolt of lightning descended from the clouds, adding more power to the flas.
Ice and water cooled his body to prolong the heat generated from his Ignis.
Kraush was currently applying a total of 183 skills simultaneously.
And that number was still on the rise.
Kraush’s sword technique was becoming more refined by the mont.
He didn’t possess the very essence of true martial arts.
Thus, in opposition to Gwaejon’s mastery, Kraush utilized everything he had to the maximum.
His fierce, toxic determination ignited.
Clang! Clang!
Kraush’s sword grew fiercer.
The tide began to turn—now, Gwaejon found himself on the defensive.
Gradually, Kraush was engulfing Gwaejon’s strikes in his own.
Kraush marked the path before him, snatching the space in which Gwaejon could swing his sword.
Gwaejon’s eyes widened.
With Gwaejon’s martial arts mastery elevated to the divine level through the incursion of the God of War, his sword stood at the pinnacle of gods.
Yet here, one human before him
was transcending that with a glut of skills combined with an unwavering determination.
Gwaejon’s eyes sparkled with disbelief.
Applying this many skills at once was undoubtedly a trendous burden for Kraush.
Skills are the embodint of each god’s unique magic.
It stands to reason they are all different, each requiring a distinct line of thought to navigate.
But Kraush pressed on, pushing through the pain of his bursting head.
Soon enough, Gwaejon realized how Kraush was applying these skills.
‘Curse.’
In his body dwelled the curse of the four seasons.
It swallowed the skills and then expelled them into Kraush’s body.
The advantage of the four seasons curse lay in its ability to prevent his body from breaking irrespective of whatever strain it faced.
Thanks to that, even as Kraush felt incredible pressure from simultaneously operating skills, he would not break.
Yet, it was ultimately Kraush’s ntal fortitude that bore the burden.
Gwaejon looked at him like he was an insane human.
[ Are you even human? ]
Was this really the level of determination a human could possess?
Kraush’s conviction reached Gwaejon’s essence of martial arts.
“Well then.”
As he poured his breath into deflecting Gwaejon’s sword, Kraush’s eyes reflected the crimson starlight of the deadly star.
“What’s it to you?”
Kraush shot back, deflecting Gwaejon’s sword and sending him staggering.
Gwaejon realized
he could no longer withstand Kraush’s strikes.
The star that had taken form inside Kraush now filled Gwaejon’s vision.
[ No. ]
Gwaejon corrected Kraush’s statent.
[ One day, you’ll co to see for yourself. ]
The Divine Spirit dwelling in Gwaejon affird it,
proclaiming with certainty that Kraush would soon reach the divine realm.
And surely, he would level that sword at Gwaejon himself.
[ God of Thieves. ]
The God of War’s eyes twisted in disdain.
[ What are you creating? ]
There was no one present to answer that question.
Kraush’s sword took form, flas of ash emanating from it with ferocity.
The ashen fire released intense heat, lting everything around him.
The God of War detached from Gwaejon.
Realizing he couldn’t remain in the Middle Realm any longer, he took his leave.
In the vacuum left by the God of War’s departure,
Gwaejon slowly lowered his sword.
Kraush beheld Gwaejon’s face.
He was wearing a grotesque smile.
Like an old monster who had never t its demise and sohow managed to survive for this long in a coffin.
He loosened his grip on the sword he had held.
“If I only had been younger, I would’ve welcod you with open arms.”
Kraush’s eyes widened.
Though he thought he had completely lost Gwaejon to the God of War,
the forr deity’s spirit still lingered within, observing the situation.
“The essence of the martial arts and the essence of effort.”
Gwaejon mourned, gazing at the ashen sun descending before him.
“I should have known where it would end.”
He had laid down his sword long ago.
“It must now be left to the future generations.”
Thus, he resolved to no longer tornt the future and decided to conclude his lengthy life.
Annihilation Erosion
Tens of Techniques
Annihilation of Flas
And at last, the ashen sun engulfed Gwaejon.
The creature that once stood atop the world as the greatest would dissolve before another peak, eting its end.
As the flas dwindled,
Kraush puffed out a heated breath and lifted his head.
Kraush’s eyes locked onto the astonished gods watching him.
They never even entertained the possibility that Gwaejon, possessed by the God of War, could be defeated.
And it was the humans that pierced through their bewildernt.
Before the gods could recover their composure, the humans launched their offensive.
One by one, the gods crumbled.
Losing the last pillar of the God of War,
they found themselves utterly powerless against the humans.
Kraush shifted his gaze away from them.
Where his eyes landed was the door Gwaejon had been guarding.
An enigmatic door,
yet Kraush had overheard so fragnts of the gods’ discussions.
The Four Horsen of the Apocalypse.
They were speaking of that door as a ans of entry.
‘These mad gods.’
Kraush began to walk towards the door.
Determined to slash it down, he ignited his sword with ashes.
“Wait, Kraush.”
Suddenly, Arthur stepped into Kraush’s path.
“Arthur?”
As Kraush questioned, Arthur gazed at the door with a bewildered look on his face.
“Sothing is coming.”
Sothing, huh? Isn’t it the Four Horsen of the Apocalypse?
But judging from Arthur’s deanor, it seed to be sothing different.
If it were indeed the Four Horsen, no one would know them better than Arthur.
“Is it dangerous?”
Kraush asked, to which Arthur turned back to him.
For so reason, there was a complexity in Arthur’s eyes.
“No, it’s more like—”
Clunk!
Before Arthur could finish his sentence, the door creaked open.
As both Arthur and Kraush’s eyes locked onto the door,
a woman with pitch-black hair peeked slowly through it.
Kraush’s eyes began to widen in recognition.
He knew exactly who she was.
“You.”
The deity who had bestowed him the Black Hood.
The God of Thieves.
She had appeared at the scene of the second Ragnarok.
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