The ignition of light was completed, and before them stood the Mad Sword Emperor, his heart pierced by the Sword of Light.
With lifeless pupils, he looked unmistakably dead to anyone who saw him.
And there was soone gazing at the sight with a blank expression.
She was none other than Haring Lagrin.
On the day the sky of the Lagrin family turned yellow,
She hid alone in a solitary room amidst the World Erosion, losing her brother.
As she endlessly repeated counting numbers, she eventually grew up into an adult.
「I wasn’t trying to save you. I was just trying to survive, and this is how it turned out. So, you didn’t do anything wrong. Understood?」
But deep within her heart,
She could never forget her brother’s last words.
Words that said she had done nothing wrong.
No matter how much she replayed those words, she couldn’t accept them.
If only she hadn’t scread that day, her brother might not have died.
If only she had been even a little stronger, she could have protected him.
Such thoughts always filled her mind.
It felt like everything was entirely her fault.
No matter how much she layered over the scars, they wouldn’t heal.
And so, as she lived day by day, today,
Sothing completely unexpected occurred.
The sky she saw that day, the yellow sky, appeared again.
A man with red hair, known as the Mad Sword Emperor, who was sitting atop the roof of the Lagrin family that day.
And this ti, he was a World Eroder who had gravely injured her father.
All of it had gathered here today.
She struggled to suppress her resentnt, but it kept rising, making it difficult to endure.
The overlapping scenes from the past and present felt as if they were slicing open her scars with a knife.
But she suppressed her resentnt and continued to hold it back.
She didn’t want to repeat the sa mistake as with her brother.
‘Kraush.’
And for so reason, she kept seeing him overlap with her brother.
She felt as though she was half-losing her mind but desperately followed Kraush.
Using Invisible repeatedly while catching up with him,
The heat she felt every ti she used Invisible on Kraush was the only thing keeping her grounded.
And at the final mont.
「Haring.」
Kraush called her na.
「Watch closely.」
With dark flas rising, Kraush flashed her a wide smile.
「Watch take him down.」
His expression was both playful and serious.
Leaving those words behind, Kraush dashed toward the spot where the Sword of Light had brushed past, not giving Haring a mont to react.
「Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!」
And when the Mad Sword Emperor’s final scream resounded loudly,
She could see it clearly in her eyes.
The mont Kraush’s final surge of dark flas collided with the Sword of Light and erupted upon the Mad Sword Emperor.
It was the instant the Mad Sword Emperor, the object of her deepest resentnt, t his end.
A gust of wind blew, tossing the Mad Sword Emperor’s hair.
Droplets of blood from his body fell to the ground, staining it red.
Underneath his crimson hair, his eyes no longer held any light.
The once-fiery red eyes that had shone brilliantly under the yellow sky were now completely extinguished.
For so reason, Haring felt her legs give out beneath her.
Looking at the Mad Sword Emperor, she found herself unable even to cry out in anger as she tried to suppress her emotions.
Even as she witnessed his death, it didn’t feel real.
Perhaps that was why the resentnt she had harbored in her heart felt like it was aimlessly drifting, with nowhere to go.
And then, her gaze landed on a boy.
A boy exhaling wisps of white smoke while holding the sword Thunderstorm.
He slowly turned toward Kraush.
“Haring.”
At that mont, Kraush called out her na.
Still staring blankly, she slowly turned to face him.
He took a deep breath and spoke.
“Did you see that?”
Haring’s eyes gradually widened at his words.
Before she realized it, her feet were already moving forward.
Kraush’s body was beginning to collapse.
Haring rushed over and caught him.
The warmth of his body against hers gradually reminded her that this was reality.
It dawned on her how much Kraush had pushed himself here for the sake of her lifelong resentnt.
The realization drained her strength montarily, but at the sa ti, her arms tightened their grip around him.
“Kraush.”
“Still hot…”
Kraush muttered, saying the heat hadn’t yet dissipated, trying to stop her.
But she paid no heed, holding him even tighter.
Would a lifeti be enough to repay this debt?
Haring didn’t know.
There was only one thing she was certain of.
The guilt and everything else she had carried for failing to protect her brother were lting away in Kraush’s warmth.
“…Thank you.”
She would repay it.
No matter what happened, she resolved to dedicate everything she had to him from now on.
Quietly, Haring made her decision.
＊ ＊ ＊
While Kraush, supported by Haring, wore a slightly embarrassed expression.
[ Didn’t the Black Witch notice? What exactly are you planning to do? ]
He was ntally bombarded with Crimson Garden’s scolding.
Of course, the Black Witch wanted Ignis.
And Kraush had blatantly revealed it right before her eyes. Now, it was certain that she would relentlessly target him from now on.
However, Kraush hadn’t carelessly provoked the Black Witch without a plan.
He had a way to block her completely, preventing her from ever approaching him.
Moreover, he also had a thod to keep an eye on Ixion’s movents.
“Let’s talk when we get back.”
After murmuring to himself, careful not to let anyone else hear, Kraush raised his head.
This was because the situation wasn’t over yet.
The Mad Sword Emperor had been defeated.
But the World Erosion was still ongoing.
Although there was no longer the danger of the Mad Sword Emperor growing stronger, by now, Hadenhartz was likely in chaos.
‘Noona still has the student corps and the First Sword, but…’
Even so, the uneasy feeling wouldn’t leave him.
Shhk!
At that mont, the Sword of Light embedded in the Mad Sword Emperor’s body was pulled out.
The sword shot outward and disappeared into Rai’s hand.
Rai’s face was covered in cold sweat.
His usual composed deanor was nowhere to be seen, revealing how much effort it took for him to handle the Sword of Light.
It was no surprise.
The sword was none other than the Martial Emperor, Valok Valheim.
Specifically, it was an imitation of the aura infused into minerals by Valok, the head of the Valheim family, reproduced using the skill Repheten.
In the past, after a remarkable feat by Rai, Valok had offered him a reward of his choosing.
What Rai received was none other than that very Sword of Light.
However, Rai still couldn’t fully wield the sword he had received at Kraush’s birth.
The gap between Valok and Rai was still far too vast.
“I’ll return to Hadenhartz first.”
Rai said as he began dispelling the Emperor’s Annihilation Swords while recRaiming the Sword of Light.
Having heard Kraush’s account, he intended to head back imdiately and begin clearing out the World Erosion.
“I’ll co with you.”
Sena added.
She glanced at Kraush and gestured subtly with her chin.
Sena knew about Ebelasque.
From what she had observed, even though Ebelasque was a World Eroder, it was clear to her what feelings she harbored toward Kraush.
Her intuition as a woman told her that Ebelasque would never harm Kraush—in fact, she might even help him.
Thus, Sena silently conveyed her intent: she and Rai would leave first, leaving Kraush and Haring in Ebelasque’s care.
Kraush nodded deeply to Sena in gratitude.
If she hadn’t been a flexible person, she might have treated Ebelasque as an enemy solely because she was a World Eroder.
As Sena and Rai departed, Kraush began channeling the energy of the Red Tiger Pill into his body.
Having experienced it once before, he was able to absorb the power of the Red Tiger Pill far more quickly this ti.
This gave Kraush so much-needed relief, and he exhaled deeply.
“It’s fine now.”
Kraush said, tapping Haring’s arm as she continued to support him.
But instead of letting go, Haring hugged him even tighter.
“…It’s not fine.”
Surprised by the sudden softness he hadn’t noticed earlier due to the effects of the Red Tiger Pill and the aftermath of the battle, Kraush tilted his head slightly.
Though Haring had run just as much as he had, she didn’t carry even a hint of sweat. Instead, there was a faint, sweet scent—likely the unique fragrance of her poison.
Haring locked eyes with Kraush as she held him tightly, staring at him intently for a mont.
Seeing her determined gaze, Kraush let out a short sigh and spoke again.
“I’m really fine now. I’ve recovered enough. Trust .”
Haring hesitated for a mont before slowly releasing him.
“…Okay.”
Her face softened at Kraush’s request, though she seed unsure why she had reacted that way. She touched her arms absentmindedly, seemingly missing the warmth she had felt earlier.
Boom!
The Blood Heaven Realm created by the Mad Sword Emperor collapsed, and crimson fragnts scattered across the sky like falling petals.
And amidst the scattering crimson fragnts, soone ca running toward them.
“Kraush!”
It was none other than Ebelasque.
Her face was filled with worry and anxiety.
Unlike Sena, who could act openly, Ebelasque had hesitated to reveal herself as long as Rai was present.
So, she had waited, anxiously clutching her chest, for the battle’s outco after watching Kraush and the others head off.
The mont Rai left, she had rushed over.
“Ebelasque.”
“Are you okay? Don’t tell you’ve lost another arm!”
With a pale face, she grabbed Kraush and began inspecting his body thoroughly.
After checking him over a few tis, she finally let out a quiet sigh of relief.
While he was clearly strained, Ebelasque knew well that Kraush had a habit of pushing himself too far.
Though he’d likely still need to be treated by the Saintess, his current condition was reassuring enough for her to relax slightly.
“I’m fine. You can stop checking now.”
Hearing his voice, Ebelasque instinctively raised her head.
His low, steady tone, deepened by maturity, lingered oddly in her ears.
As she followed the sound of his voice, her body stiffened.
In the process of inspecting him, she had gotten much closer to Kraush than she’d realized.
His prominent nose, his piercing blue eyes looking directly at her, and the beads of sweat rolling down his slightly pained expression were all unmistakably close.
Ebelasque’s face slowly began to flush for reasons she couldn’t quite understand.
Kraush had saved her twice now.
The first ti, he had physically returned her heart.
The second ti, he had taken on her long-standing pain and trauma, offering to bear it for her.
At the ti of the heart restoration, Ebelasque hadn’t thought much of Kraush.
To her, he was just a boy pretending to act grown-up.
But the Kraush she t today was different.
Having matured quickly, Kraush now resembled an adult in both appearance and deanor.
Even now, she had to look up to et his gaze due to his tall stature.
She knew boys grew quickly, but she hadn’t expected him to grow this much, this fast.
Because of that, the words Kraush had spoken earlier kept echoing in her mind.
Ebelasque averted her eyes slowly.
For so reason, eting his gaze felt strangely difficult.
This feeling was sothing Ebelasque had never experienced in her entire life.
In that mont, she felt a sudden pull.
When she turned her head, Haring was standing there with an impassive expression.
“Kraush said he’s fine. Don’t make it harder for him.”
Ebelasque t Haring’s gaze, and for so reason, it annoyed her slightly.
“Who’s saying otherwise? If he’s going to stay with , he needs to be in good shape.”
She grumbled as she reluctantly let go of Kraush.
She oddly emphasized the words “with ” and quickly glanced at Kraush for his reaction.
However, Kraush remained indifferent, his expression neutral, as though he wasn’t paying much attention to her remark.
Instead, he locked eyes with Haring, who was staring at him intently.
An inexplicable tension hung between them.
[ Look at that. This is all your doing. Absolutely ridiculous. ]
Crimson Garden spoke in Kraush’s mind, sounding utterly exasperated.
Kraush ignored it and walked toward the Mad Sword Emperor’s lifeless body.
The emptiness in the dead man’s eyes, with his chest blown open, was almost palpable.
“Ebelasque, can you retrieve the Mad Sword Emperor’s corpse? Include the Blood Demonic Sword as well.”
Ebelasque, who had been locking horns with Haring monts ago, imdiately ran over.
“I’ll do it. Anything else you need?”
She asked, her tone unusually cooperative.
Kraush gave her a strange look, noting her sudden obedience, but it wasn’t unwelco.
After all, her abilities were essential at this mont.
“Yeah, Hadenhartz has a lot of residents even in the mountains.”
Kraush said as he watched Ebelasque quickly retrieve the corpse of the Mad Sword Emperor.
“Let’s save them first.”
Both Ebelasque and Haring turned to look at Kraush.
Kraush wasn’t the type to be considered overly kind. He was gruff, sharp-tongued, and far from noble in deanor, often causing concern for those around him.
But there was one thing about him they both understood clearly.
This part of him, the selfless drive to act despite his flaws, was what continually drew people to his side.
“Let’s go.”
Even though he was in the worst condition of the three, Kraush was the first to start walking.
Seeing this, both Ebelasque and Haring felt a strange smile tugging at their lips.
If nothing else, it was unmistakably Kraush being Kraush.
Translators note:
I agree with Crimson Garden here. Two girls in one arc is ridiculous.
Btw, if Crim also ends up falling for him I hope Kraush never lets her live down all her comnts.
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