### Chapter: 417
Sudden appearance of the ancient monster.
With the manifestation of the godly beast, Kraush had no choice but to retreat with Aria.
Boom!
As they were surrounded by the fallen rain and thunderstorm, Aria and Kraush quickly sought refuge in an abandoned house nearby.
Under normal circumstances, they would have kept running. After all, they were heroes in the middle of a grand adventure, right? But Kraush was pouring blood like a fountain, and that was a bit concerning.
“Are you okay, Kraush?”
“...Yeah.”
Sure, he was saying he was okay, but with his face as pale as a ghost, anyone could see that he looked like a walking corpse. Aria bit her lip with worry.
“Wait. Let me help you. I’ll give you emergency first aid!”
Laying him down, Aria hurriedly tore a piece of her clothing to use as a bandage. But as she looked down, her eyes widened.
There was an ominous-looking wound carved deep into Kraush‘s chest.
Aria had seen her fair share of injuries—the kind that would make even a seasoned doctor cringe. Normally, a wound like this could be treated with some magical ointment and a quick spell, but—
The problem? This was a wound left by a god-like monster.
‘It’s not healing at all...’
That’s why Aria‘s face turned grave. Because this wasn’t just any injury; it was a supernatural one.
Kraush had the body of a dragon king—a kind of superhuman regeneration was supposed to be in the cards for him. Plus, on top of that, he had stolen several recovery skills!
But right now? He was just laying there, bleeding out without any sign of recovery. It was as if the injury was mocking him, continuing to bleed without a care in the world.
‘The monster’s swordsmanship...’
This monster wielded an otherworldly technique. In the distant past, those who fell victim to its blade didn’t even recognize that they had been slain. They would continue moving about as headless corpses, oblivious to their own fatal injuries.
People began to think this was some kind of bizarre voodoo, and many came to study this monster’s magical arts. But they all came to the same conclusion.
It was swordsmanship, plain and simple. It was beyond human perception, capable of slicing through the very fabric of nature itself.
No doubt about it, this monster was proficient in swordsmanship.
And here, in the present, Kraush had been struck by this very technique.
Aria rummaged through her pockets, splashing potions onto the wound. The bleeding slowed a bit, but the core of the injury seemed oblivious to any treatment.
Aria clenched her teeth in frustration.
“This isn’t going to cut it.”
‘There must be a way to heal this...’
The only method that jumped to her mind, though she hesitated to do it, made her fingers tremble.
Just as a droplet of water rolled down her golden hair, Kraush raised a hand and firmly grabbed her wrist.
“...Aria.”
Their eyes met, and Aria flinched, a little taken aback.
“You know how to heal wounds like this.”
“But...”
“It’s okay. I’m used to it.”
Aria‘s heart ached. It wasn’t supposed to be like this. She wished he didn’t have to be so familiar with pain and injury.
Yet, she also knew that Kraush had become this way partly because of her influence. The thought made her heart hurt even more.
“...Alright.”
Finally, Aria made up her mind and drew her sword.
“Bite your lip.”
“Okay.”
As soon as she heard Kraush‘s response, Aria unsheathed her weapon.
Szzzzzzzzt!
Air crackled around her sword as power began to coalesce.
This wasn’t just any sword; it was one of the ten legendary blades, known as White Night.
Amazingly, it was a sword imbued with the essence of sunlight, forged in a land that always faced the sun.
That’s why when Aria lowered her sword, sunlight radiating from it tore through Kraush’s wound left by the monster.
Immediately, Kraush’s skills surged, kicking into high gear for recovery.
Aria watched over him, quickly pulling out restoration potions to spray on the wound.
Minutes later, Kraush‘s breathing began to stabilize, evening out gradually.
The warmth and sweat radiating from him were signs he was recovering.
Fortunately, the gods weren’t in hot pursuit for the moment.
They must’ve figured it out too, that taking down Kraush wouldn’t be a walk in the park without a serious player like the monster joining the fray.
But for Kraush, not defeating the monster would mean he could never stave off the gods.
This was a new dilemma for him.
Just as Kraush had barely regained his strength, he furrowed his brow.
‘So, unless I counterattack each time I’m injured by this Institute, I won’t be able to heal.’
But he knew there was a way.
It was just that dealing with it in battle had its complications.
With a smug grin, he thought about using Ignis to burn himself, thus creating those wounds intentionally.
But, now there was another problem.
The monster’s sword.
Even Kraush couldn’t keep up with its speed and ferocity.
Its skill hit beyond the realm of perception, leaving a formidable wall even for him.
By all means, Kraush wanted to power through it and resolve it with brute force.
But his strength alone would do little to stall the monster’s onslaught.
‘The monster is would’ve maintained the presence of the god of war, after all.’
It was pouring out powers fitting for a rival deity, far beyond anything Kraush was accustomed to facing.
This was a simple matter of raw output, too—not just a playful brawl.
If he wanted to defeat the monster, he’d need to get into the same realm as last time, where he barely managed to defeat Abella with all his best perks.
Even then, it was unclear if he could reach that level by trading all his available skills for divine power.
The stakes were high, and Kraush couldn’t help but frown.
He didn’t expect the struggle against the gods to be easy, but now he faced complications he hadn’t considered.
Even if he dodged around the monster, the scale of its impending actions loomed over him, leaving him exhausted at the thought of it all.
The monster had to be defeated.
While Kraush racked his brains over how to manage this new challenge, he slowly raised his head.
One thing popped into his mind.
Currently, Kraush was unable to take down the monster.
What he required were two things:
’More divine power than I have now...’
And pure swordsmanship that can stand against the beast.
With that thought, Kraush fell into deep contemplation.
If he could capture enough divine energy from the gods, surely that would provide a way out of this nightmare.
At the very least, he had confidence in gathering enough divine power to match even the god of war’s manifest form.
So, next, regarding swordsmanship...
“Aria.”
“Kraush, are you feeling better now?”
As Aria perked up upon hearing his call, Kraush leaned back against the wall, upright.
“I think I need to meet the Sword King.”
The strongest sword in the world.
His assistance would become crucial.