### Chapter: 250
The Decapitated Head of the Demon Exorcist
The head of the Demon Exorcist soared through the air.
Despite her inherently timid nature, she transformed into a fierce warrior upon engaging in battle. That day, however, she met her death.
Thud, roll, roll...
The severed head of the Demon Exorcist slowly rolled across the ground.
“Demon Exorcist.”
Garda, covering his bleeding neck, called out to her.
No answer came from the lifeless body.
Moreover, Kraush was still in the state of the Devastation Flame Dragon.
Kraush’s gaze landed on Garda.
Next up was him.
Confident of this, Garda gripped his staff and rose to his feet.
He had misjudged his opponent entirely.
This guy was someone they couldn’t handle.
“Damn it!”
At that moment, before Garda could react, the Armed Princess charged at Kraush like a homing missile.
Even after the Hell Flower broke apart, reverting to its original form, the Armed Princess showed not a hint of fear.
Among everything else, at least she was unwavering in her resolve.
But still, there was no way she could take on Kraush in his Devastation Flame Dragon state.
Once more, the Armed Princess flew through the air, crashing hard to the ground.
Boom!
Barely avoiding a fatal injury, she suffered a gash that stretched across her chest.
“Cough, cough.”
But that bought her just a moment’s respite.
“Armed Princess, retreat!”
With the Demon Exorcist fallen, victory was out of reach.
Her combat ability was the strongest among the three.
Kraush showed no signs of letting her go as his form dispersed once again.
However, since the moment he lost his head, Garda had already been prepared.
Bang!
In that instant, the entire Forest of Giants shook.
Rumble, rumble, rumble!
And soon after, torrents of water began pouring in their direction.
The source of this deluge was a flood that had occurred in the Forest of Giants.
Seeing the flood barreling down and threatening to engulf everything, Kraush halted, realizing that the advancing water was faster than himself reaching Garda.
If this continued, he would get swept away by the flood before he could even strike Garda.
At this sight, Garda thought to escape with the Armed Princess right then.
But then,
Garda noticed Kraush had reversed his grip on the sword.
Not opting to flee from the incoming flood, Kraush steadied himself. This action struck a sense of unease into Garda.
Could it be?
Crack—
Lightning crackled from Kraush’s sword.
The electricity flowed down Kraush’s Thunderstorm blade, shaping into a sword sheath.
Within that sheath lay black flames.
Kraush was focusing his destruction power, converting the Aura into World Erosion.
The black flames soon started pounding wildly within the sheath.
And there came Excel’s power as well.
The speed of the accelerated black flames grew faster and faster, increasing the strength within the sheath.
Thump—
As he witnessed this, Garda felt his heart racing.
The power Kraush was wielding was not Aura but World Erosion.
So, he felt the dramatic difference.
This was dangerous.
If that were to complete, it would be catastrophic.
“Armed Princess, this way!”
Garda realized he had to flee from here immediately.
The Armed Princess had already gotten to her feet and was sprinting toward Garda.
However, they quickly realized they were much slower than Kraush.
Crack!
Kraush’s electrically-charged sheath shattered, and the black flames burst forth.
As the storm of electricity and flames erupted, the prospect before Garda turned pitch black.
Annihilation Erosion (멸화침식)
Trinity Style (삼식)
Flame God of Destruction (멸화천뢰)
The oncoming black flames and electrical storm collided with the flood, causing it to evaporate in an instant.
Garda could only watch in shock.
The disaster unfolding in the Forest of Giants posed no threat to Kraush whatsoever.
Moreover, the space warp he was attempting to activate warped and shattered.
The sheer force of energy converging had even broken apart the space warp.
Once again, Kraush’s gaze fell on Garda.
The black flames billowing had inexplicably turned white.
Even in his state of the Devastation Flame Dragon, a strong sense of danger radiated from the figure behind him.
As Kraush slowly turned his head, there stood a massive man.
Covered head to toe in white fur,
With iron shackles clasped around his wrists,
He bore a resemblance to a monkey, and as he spotted Kraush, his red eyes sparkled.
“Have you become the Dragon King?”
The Beast King,
Verdow.
He was one of the strongest among the World Erosion creatures, a being whom even Kraush couldn’t easily contend with.
He had appeared before him.
Kraush’s response was swift.
As he tightened his grip around his sword and kicked off the ground, he activated Excel.
Without a moment’s hesitation, he chose to flee.
The moment he burst through the forest,
“Who do you think you are!”
A voice called out from the side, causing Kraush to reflexively raise his sword.
Kaboom!
In that moment, it felt as though he had been hit by shelling, sending Kraush crashing through dozens of trees and rolling across the ground.
His arms, absorbing the impact, buzzed painfully.
Had it not been for the Thunderstorm blade, they would have shattered instantly.
Before him stood the Beast King, ready to throw another punch.
Having followed Kraush after activating Excel, he had knocked him down with a single blow.
“Damn it, you monster!”
Kraush, feeling the diminishing power of the Devastation Flame Dragon, ground his teeth.
As he witnessed the Beast King approaching, feeling the increasing pressure,
“I truly hate not getting answers.”
The Beast King’s fists tightened.
“I’m curious how long you’ll keep your mouth shut.”
As a grin broke across his face, the atmosphere of the Forest of Giants shifted dramatically.
The bloodlust emanating from the Beast King was incomparable, enough to change the entire forest’s vibe.
It felt as though the world was swirling around him.
Just then,
I’ve arrived.
A figure stepped forward to stand before Kraush.
Upon seeing this, Kraush let out a breath of relief.
There stood a tall, golden-haired man.
A middle-aged man, his sword hanging loosely, staring down the Beast King.
This alone caused the atmosphere revolving around the Beast King to shift entirely.
The man’s presence was powerful enough to stand in comparison to the Beast King.
“Tsk.”
The Beast King clicked his tongue upon facing him.
Sanctuary of Stars
Heavenly Sovereign
Dalpiron Juno
He had appeared before Kraush.
“I’m late.”
Dalpiron briefly apologized to Kraush before returning his gaze to the Beast King.
“Demon King, I leave Kraush Balheim to you.”
And before they knew it, another figure stood beside Kraush.
The Ten Great Lords, Demon King Daikram Arios.
With his distinctive moustache, he had arrived just in the nick of time alongside Dalpiron.
The Beast King scratched his head upon seeing the three.
“What now?”
Both sides had rushed in without counting on facing off against each other.
Boom!
Just then, the entire Forest of Giants trembled.
All eyes turned toward the source, where a giant leg, towering above the clouds, was moving.
That was none other than the Giant, the lord of the Forest of Giants.
The ruckus had drawn its attention.
The eyes of the Beast King and Dalpiron met briefly.
If a fight broke out between the two while that Giant was rampaging, one of them would likely end up dead.
Neither the Beast King nor Dalpiron desired such a fate.
“You best answer my questions next time.”
The Beast King was the first to back down.
By that point, he had gathered the bodies of the Demon Exorcist, Garda, and the Armed Princess and slipped away.
Bang!
Whether he left or not, the Giant continued its advance toward them.
Noticing the other side had retreated, Dalpiron turned to Kraush and the Demon King.
“Let’s retreat as well.”
Thus, the incident surrounding Kraush’s kidnapping in the Forest of Giants unfolded.
It may have marked the prelude to an impending war.