Chapter 23 Lawless Zone Bandits

Chapter 23 Lawless Zone Bandits

Ignis.

From Kraushs sword, which he harshly struck against the floor of the carriage, sprang forth bluish flames. Given that Ignis was the flame of a higher deity, it also possessed the power of purification.

Which means

Swish!

The sliced black humans were engulfed in flames and melted away instantaneously.

It means theyre extremely vulnerable to it.

Without hesitation, Kraush began to move deftly through the black humans. The merchant woman quickly grabbed a staff and began smashing the black humans, seemingly handling herself just fine.

Crimson Garden.

However, with this number of black humans around, there must have been an un-purified source of world erosion nearby.

[Its 300 meters in a straight line.]

That wasnt too far away.

Hey, Im going to eradiate the source of world erosion creating the black humans. Hold them off till then.

Okay! Please take care of it!

Kraush immediately drew aura under his feet. Then he kicked off the ground with explosive force.

As Kraush ran, the number of black humans increased. But against Kraushs Ignis, they could do little. He swiftly reached the heart of the forest, and his eyes caught sight of a clump of world erosion.

The sight of the black liquid, intermingled with the trees, spurting gas intermittently was obviously that of un-purified world erosion.

Shall we absorb it?

Crimson Garden, following behind, perched on a tree branch and asked.

Yes, good timing for it to appear.

Without any hesitation, Kraush extended his hand towards the world erosion. Then, a black energy began to flow up into Kraushs hand.

Inside Kraushs body was already present a world erosion attributed to the extreme blood poisoning technique. Since there was no particular resistance to the absorption, Kraush let out a breath of air.

Thankfully, due to his sixth sense, no madness ensued. With this, no more black humans would be created.

That was how Kraush made his return.

Kraush.

Kraush halted his steps at the call of Crimson Garden. Between the trees, a few people were seen accompanying the merchant woman. They were surrounding her, and she was brandishing her staff threateningly.

Get lost before I mess up my carriage by laying your filthy hands on it!

Were all friends passing through the lawless zone, arent we? Helping each other out.

Yeah, and while youre at it, how about playing the part of my woman beneath the sheets too. He-he.

They were clearly bandits.

But not average ones. For them to roam freely in the lawless zone meant there must have been at least one skilled fighter among them.

Thisll work out well.

Meanwhile, Crimson Garden let out a chilly laugh.

As an exercise for the blunt sword technique, theyre just perfect.

Kraush, thinking he had chosen a good master, cracked his neck, preparing himself.

I agree.

Lets get a proper warm-up before heading to the martial arts tournament.

The band of outlaws that typically preyed on carriages passing through the lawless zone numbered a total of eight.

Among them, the leader Orele eyed the merchant woman and swallowed his salivation.

Women were a rarity in the lawless zone, and he had been starved of female company for a while. This one seemed like a delectable meal.

Hey, Im up first, guys.

Typical, boss. Always so greedy. Dont go hogging her.

As if its any of your concern, you fools.

He swung a huge axe with ease, demonstrating his formidable strength.

The merchant woman, noticing this, seemed tense.

The bell warning approached, distracted by the black humans, had been her mistake.

Now the band had approached this close while they were unprepared.

She could have dealt with the other bandits, but with the leader Orele there as well, it would be too much for her to handle alone.

Thud

It was at that moment that echoing footsteps resounded.

The merchant woman recognized the identity of those steps and her face brightened.

The bandits, noticing her reaction, belatedly looked behind.

Huh? A kid?

There stood a boy on his own.

In the moment one bandit registered his confusion

Thunk!

A sword flying in a straight line impaled his head.

Instant silence surrounded them as none had expected the young boy to throw a sword and kill a bandit.

Dammit, an enemy! Kill him!

Orele reacted quickly, befitting a leader.

He realized the boy was no ordinary person.

Opportunely, the boy had thrown his sword and was unarmed.

Seizing the chance, two bandits charged at him.

But the boy showed no sign of fear, merely lifting his hands.

In an instant, the sword he had thrown earlier was back in his grasp.

Thought I was weaponless?

The sudden presence of the sword startled the bandit.

And in that moment of confusion, the boys sword stabbed precisely into the bandits neck.

The efficiency of his movements was too much for an average bandit to handle.

Beneath the dark night sky, Kraushs blue eyes shone chillingly.

His tone wasnt any different from the start.

Orele swallowed his breath, then gripped his axe till his hand nearly burst.

Ha, haha, whatever tricks youre playing, theyre over now!

He forced a semblance of ease as he shouted.

Seeing this, Kraush lightly flashed a smile.

Fortunately, thanks to you, I seem to be getting the hang of it, even without my sixth sense.

Twitch.

The leaders thick eyebrows moved.

It was as if Kraush was toying with him.

Feeling a major blow to his pride, Orele took a deep breath.

He hadnt intended to use that technique against a kid, but if he kept falling for the boys strange swordsmanship, he felt he might go insane first.

Thump!

Without signaling, Orele stomped the ground once again.

Kraush, with his sword hanging loosely, waited yet again for his attack.

Although it felt like willingly putting his head into a snakes mouth, Orele suppressed his growing fear.

Instead, he gathered his aura more fiercely than ever on his axe.

But once more, Kraushs languid sword was there to meet his swinging axe.

Got you!

Oreles eyes flashed.

At that moment, his axe made a peculiar move.

The axe, that was previously aiming for Kraushs sword, left behind only traces of aura and veered toward Kraushs side.

Welcoming Hammer Axe

It was his ultimate secret technique.

He would surely split Kraush in two halves right then.

Orele smiled, anticipating the blood spray that would soon burst

Shiiing!

A harsh metallic clang echoed across the plains as metal clashed with metal.

Blink

Oreles eyes shut and opened again.

He couldnt comprehend what had just happened.

He felt metal, not flesh, against his axe.

Hey.

Kraushs voice resonated lowly.

Where did you learn that?

Across from the axe and sword, a glint poured out from his blue eyes.

Guk?!

Upon seeing that, Oreles body shriveled up.

He felt like a small animal cornered by a fearsome predator.

Kraush was frowning because he recognized the dishonorable technique used; it was one from a certain kind of person.

Was it around this time that he escaped the Empire?

Not long ago, the Empire was shaken by a mass murder.

The incident occurred because of a man who had massacred an entire village on his own.

Because of him, the Empire had dispatched a knight order, but the slaughterer had crossed the Empires border and eventually escaped.

Kraush wouldnt normally concern himself with such matters, assuming the Empire would have handled it.

But the real issue lay elsewhere.

He had become a servant under the influence of world erosion.

Just like Bianca during her possession, this man had become a servant of world erosion too.

Berserker Berkman

What he typically utilized was precisely this Welcoming Hammer Axe.

Are you one of Berserker Berkmans underlings?

Oreles face hardened.

It barely mattered whether this man was an underling of Berserker Berkman.

The real issue was that Berkman would eventually go into hiding in the Starlon Kingdom.

And then, he was caught by Charlotte.

The only reason why Kraush, who didnt care about the outside information, remembered this was because of Charlotte.

Berkmans death was a pivotal moment for Charlotte, as it was when she became known across the Empire.

At the age of 16, her solitary overpowering and defeat of a world erosion beings servant were enough for her tale to be discussed as a heroic saga.

Thats enough. The flow has been disrupted.

In that moment, Kraushs sword moved.

Huh?

As Orele registered confusion, his large frame slowly collapsed.

Looking down at his decapitated form rolling on the ground, Kraush moved on with heavy steps.

After all, Berkman was destined to be slain by Charlotte.

There was no need to worry about his underlings.

Ba-Balheim!

The merchant woman, who had been locked in struggle with the remaining four bandits, tearfully called out to Kraush.

Seeing this, Kraush clicked his tongue and flared up Ignis on his sword.

Time to finish this quickly and catch some sleep.