Chapter: 206
With a mane made of blue flames and a body of bones, Number 2 was quite the sight.
But Number 2 had a unique feature.
Whoosh!
With the manifestation of this feature, Number 2’s mane burst into black flames!
Heeheehee!
As the black flames roared, an entirely different aura emanated from Number 2.
This wasn’t just any black flame; it was none other than Kraush’s own black flame.
Number 2’s unique ability?
It shared the power of its rider as if it was its own.
In other words...
“Excel.”
Both Number 2 and Kraush’s figures flickered simultaneously.
At that moment, a beam of starlight fired from the direction of the Shadow Demon.
The searing starlight was a destructive beam that erased anything it touched.
But thanks to Kraush’s skill, Excel, Number 2 easily dodged it.
Clop-clop!
The sound of hooves rang out.
Number 2, sharing Kraush’s power, appeared to be having a grand old time prancing about.
“Number 2, from now on, all dodging is on you.”
“Brughh!”
Number 2 replied with a little hop.
With Kraush’s Excel and the Annihilation Erosion at its disposal, Number 2 could adeptly evade the Shadow Demon’s attacks.
So, Kraush entrusted his life completely to Number 2.
In exchange, Kraush slowly closed his eyes.
He was entering a focused state.
‘Just using Annihilation Erosion alone won’t cut it against the Shadow Demon.’
During the first ambush,
Using the Annihilation Erosion, Kraush had knocked off three of the Shadow Demon’s wings.
It was undoubtedly a stroke of luck.
However, because of that, Kraush was certain.
Using Annihilation Erosion alone couldn’t bring down the Shadow Demon.
To extract the Essence from the Shadow Demon, it had to be defeated for good.
Once again, Annihilation Erosion simply wouldn’t suffice.
Especially since the Shadow Demon, now shining like starlight, possessed a strong immunity to physical attacks.
Naturally, the damage would be halved.
‘So, I need to ramp it up.’
White smoke began to waft from Kraush’s mouth.
Thanks to Nox’s influence, his hair color turned back to inky black.
Annihilation Erosion, combined with a momentary enhancement elixir, allowed him to forcibly break through his limits.
So, he needed to push those limits once more.
Whoosh—
Deep within Kraush, Ignis burned intensely, incinerating World Erosion as it erupted into Annihilation Erosion.
The raging flames filled Kraush’s body, sparking fires here and there.
Those fierce flames were now very much familiar to Kraush.
Under the eternally dark night sky, which was already gloomy, Kraush’s darkness thickened even further.
The night was so dark that nothing was visible.
Yet, stars began to twinkle suddenly in that pitch-black sky.
It was the Celestial Seven.
Soon, the seven stars hung in the sky, and they each began to pour down their light.
Thud!
As a result, Kraush’s output surged once more.
Thanks to the innate power of the Celestial Seven, the strength of World Erosion was enhanced even further.
A cold sweat beaded on Kraush’s brow.
The scorching heat radiated outward, causing the surrounding temperature to rise sharply.
The space around Kraush began to twist dramatically.
But that much was still not enough.
With smoke spilling from his mouth, Kraush ground his teeth together.
Simultaneously, another force began to swell within Kraush’s body.
Excel.
A skill that accelerates anything.
And this skill was now merging with the searing Annihilation Erosion within Kraush’s very being.
The flames kindled by the Celestial Seven and World Erosion roared fiercely.
When acceleration was added to such flames, absurd results began to emerge.
Crack!
Kraush gritted his teeth hard.
And why wouldn’t he? The heat battering his insides was intensifying by the second.
The flames of Annihilation Erosion were already circulating rapidly within Kraush’s body, meant to ignite him everywhere.
Finally, Kraush’s body broke through another barrier.
Surpassing Annihilation Erosion to reach a new realm.
In the midst of those blazing black flames,
His red eyes glimmered brightly.
—
Demon of Absolute Destruction!
This was the new realm Kraush had reached, having vigorously breached his limits!
At the sight, the Shadow Demon felt an unprecedented sense of crisis.
The realm Kraush had reached was something that could instill fear even in a 9-star Erosion creature.
However, the Shadow Demon was not about to back down.
With the might of a 9-star Erosion creature, its arms spread wide.
If it couldn’t run away, it would simply kill its foe.
To embody that simple truth, the starlight body of the Shadow Demon began to disintegrate bit by bit.
The disintegrated fragments began coalescing into a single beam of light.
Before the Shadow Demon, a small sphere of starlight formed.
But this starlight sphere possessed power infinitely beyond its predecessors.
It was absorbing light endlessly as if to devour the very space around it.
However, unbeknownst to the Shadow Demon,
A sword sheath made of lightning formed in Kraush’s grasp.
Inside that sheath resided the power of black flames like never before.
The black flames within the sheath were speeding up, picking up pace due to the power of Excel.
Kraush was unsure if he could reach the Shadow Demon with that state.
He couldn’t even take a step forward in his current condition.
“Number 2.”
However, he had someone to take the reins for him.
Number 2, undeterred by the Shadow Demon’s starlight sphere, began to run alongside Kraush.
Its speed gradually increased, as it swirled the wind, closing the distance to the Shadow Demon.
As a result, Kraush tightly gripped Rain Thunder Prime.
His muscles all tensed as he held on.
The weight of the black flames contained within the lightning sheath was heavier than ever, threatening to slip from his grip.
Kraush’s hand was determined, refusing to let go of Rain Thunder Prime.
“Give it your all!”
With a labored breath, he barely managed to exclaim these words as more strength flooded into Number 2.
With the gleaming black flames trailing behind, Number 2 surged forward at impossible speed.
In that accelerated world,
The starlight sphere of the Shadow Demon was finally complete.
In an instant, all the surrounding light converged upon the Shadow Demon.
And the condensing light was akin to the explosive finale of a star’s life.
Number 2 dashed forward, unhesitatingly towards that starlight explosion.
Kraush had entrusted everything to him.
For Ebelasque had faith in Kraush.
There would be no doubt from the servant, having received the master’s validation.
In front of the exploding starlight,
Kraush felt, for some reason, all sounds had vanished, and even the light appeared to move in slow motion.
The scene around was painted in pure white.
This was the effect of Excel, which had been pushing his thoughts to hyper-speed.
Amidst these accelerated thoughts, on the calm lake of his mind,
A single droplet, poised to deliver the finishing blow, slowly descended.
The moment that droplet touched the lake of Kraush’s heart,
The ripples spread throughout, cascading into waves.
As the boiling water at the center surged upwards,
When the whirlpool that touched the edge of Kraush’s consciousness manifested,
Crack!
The sheath imprisoning Kraush’s black flames shattered!
Whoosh!
The belated sound of the black flames filled the surroundings.
Before the Shadow Demon’s eyes, Kraush observed the lunar red moon rising atop his head.
That crimson moon glowed so bright that, in an instant, it reminded the Shadow Demon of the dawn that had long illuminated the night sky.
“――――!”
A silent thunderclap reverberated from the Shadow Demon.
And amidst that ground-shaking roar, the black flames surged forth, enveloping the explosion of starlight.
The spreading black flames ripped through the explosion of starlight, reaching the Shadow Demon.
—
As the lethargy of the Shadow Demon collided with Kraush’s fervent will to win, they intersected in a startling moment.
“Take a breather.”
And with that single command, Kraush swung his sword, which erupted like a volcanic explosion.
Annihilation Erosion!
Six-Patterned Strike!
Demon-Consuming Flames!
The black flames suffocated the Shadow Demon.