### Chapter: 283
Getting to Jeblam was a piece of cake.
No wonder it’s called the Magic Kingdom; the teleportation facilities in Jeblam were among the best in the world.
With the Demon King’s direct supervision, there was no chance of getting intercepted like last time.
So, before Kraush set off for Jeblam, he received a call and found himself knocking on a certain door.
“Long time no see. Here I am.”
Since he didn’t usually knock on doors, he felt a bit awkward and lifted his head.
And what met his eyes was none other than the principal’s office.
“Come in.”
With those words ringing in his ears, Kraush pushed the door open.
What he found was a large, elderly man with a physique that was almost ridiculous.
It seemed he had been working when he stopped flipping through documents.
Then, peering over his working glasses, he regarded Kraush with a warm smile.
“It’s been a while since the training.”
“Yes, I came as you summoned me.”
The one who called Kraush was none other than Duel Emperor Durandal.
After learning Aura from him last year, Kraush hadn’t seen Durandal.
Both had been too busy, with Kraush taking on external activities while Durandal had paperwork piling up.
Especially now, with the new school year starting.
As the principal, he must have been flooded with documents needing his attention.
After all, the final word on every decision was up to Durandal.
“Kraush, I hear you’re off to Jeblam this time.”
“Yes, a few members of the Lion’s Order will be joining me.”
Kraush had already arranged for Bioloren and the magical tools creator Rona Imblize to be part of the Lion’s Order.
With that, it posed no significant issue moving together.
Seeing Kraush, Durandal wore a teasing smile.
“It seems the level of Rahern Academy is too low to train you after all.”
Ever since enrolling in Rahern Academy, Kraush had spent most of his time outside, engaging in external activities.
While he earned full marks for those, his internal scores obviously plummeted.
Thus, it was inevitable that he strayed far away from being at the top of the academy.
But despite that, he hadn’t fallen from the top spot of the unnamed curriculum this year.
That was because Durandal had previously established a scoring system for those who exceeded a certain level of external activity.
Naturally, there were complaints from professors.
They argued it was unfair to other students.
However, Durandal calmly persuaded them.
“Kraush is not a talent that should be confined to Rahern Academy.
He needs to gather as much experience and talent as possible while he’s still young.
Rahern Academy is a place that presents the best education.
So rather than shouting equality, what should take precedence is education tailored to each individual.
Rahern Academy shouldn’t become a barrier hindering anyone’s growth.”
Durandal’s earnest words eventually won the professors over.
The Nameless Class’s supervising professor, Ganon Sarsaya, echoed those sentiments.
“Kraush has surpassed the realm I can teach.
How can a professor with a short rope blame a student?
The wider world is a far better learning environment for Kraush.
Other professors surely have students they cherish.
It’s our role as educators to facilitate their progression rather than obstruct it.”
Someday, these students would move beyond this world.
There was no reason to chastise them for accelerating that process.
“No. Rahern Academy is undoubtedly the best educational facility.”
Knowing this fact, Kraush refuted Durandal’s words about it being a subpar environment.
Before his regression, Rahern Academy crumbled under power struggles.
The balance of power had tilted too heavily toward the Empire instead of remaining even.
This was due to all the top figures at the time being affiliated with the Empire faction.
Even with professors and the principal’s efforts, it was unstoppable.
“With the nature of educational facilities, power should have been balanced from the beginning.”
But as it was heavily slanted towards the *Empire from the outset, even Durandal couldn’t easily shift that balance back.
But now, things were different.
Charlotte shared the power equally with Sigrid, and the most influential figures among the second batch were all part of the Lion’s Order.
Even if those at the bottom were embroiled in power struggles.
Those at the top were enjoying each other’s company.
So they couldn’t carelessly aim their blades at one another due to the oversight of those atop the hierarchy.
Thanks to that, power disputes within Rahern Academy remained hushed.
“Thank you for saying that.”
“I can say it because I learned a lot at Rahern Academy.”
“Then how about I teach you one more thing?”
Upon hearing Durandal’s words, Kraush hesitated.
His head slowly lifted.
Durandal’s eyes were sincere.
“Do you mean…?”
“Aura also needs to move to the next level.”
Before he knew it, Durandal had stood up from his seat.
As he did, white light began to converge in his hands.
In a brief moment, Kraush felt all that light rushing back toward Durandal.
Light erupted from Durandal like a halo.
It was the Aura he controlled.
Moments later, the Aura’s color started to change.
The new hue was ash gray.
Light flakes swirled around Durandal’s arm.
“The spell I created, Ashen Essence, is the ash left after burning up the Aura completely.”
The ash particles began to wrap slowly around Durandal’s arm.
At that instant, Kraush felt as if the whole world was being drawn towards Durandal.
It felt like a giant that had been sleeping was finally stretching and standing up.
Durandal’s presence gradually morphed into a colossal and overwhelming wall.
Grrrggrrggrrg!!!
The atmosphere screamed under the concentration of brutal power.
The force that constituted the world, the Aura, was now entirely concentrated in one of Durandal’s arms.
Chills ran down Kraush’s spine.
He could feel the droplets of sweat trickling down his forehead.
Time felt like it was moving incredibly slowly.
Before long, Kraush found himself left standing before a towering behemoth of nature.
His shirt had stuck to him due to sweating.
Slowly, Kraush began to raise his head.
What he beheld was an endless mountain.
A height impossible to surpass, even if one spread their wings.
From the heights, Durandal loomed over him like a massive giant.
As Kraush stared at him, reality gradually seeped back in.
On Durandal’s arm.
An ash gray gauntlet encased it.
This gauntlet held immense destructive power boiling within it.
Imposing and tyrannical, yet incredibly generous in strength.
But if it were to misfire even once…
Rahern Academy would be obliterated.
Kraush knew for certain that what Durandal had created was outrageous.
“This is the ultimate of Ashen Essence.”
The supreme mastery of Aura created the ultimate move.
God of Creation Weapons.
All the power awe-inspiring enough for Kraush to feel was centered in that gauntlet.
“However, it remains incomplete.”
Upon hearing that it was incomplete, Kraush‘s eyes widened.
How could something so overwhelming be called incomplete?
Durandal gazed down at the God of Creation Weapons with a hint of regret.
As he mentioned, the God of Creation Weapons was indeed unfinished.
What he embraced wasn’t just a gauntlet.
To truly complete the God of Creation Weapons, his whole body needed to be clothed in Aura.
But with Durandal’s current power, he could only manage gauntlets and boots.
He only gained mastery of the God of Creation Weapons long after his prime.
So, Durandal had consistently sought out a successor.
Someone he could trust to perfect the God of Creation Weapons.
In his previous life, he never found such a successor.
Though there was Aria, her trajectory didn’t align with Durandal’s thoughts.
Ultimately, on the day Rahern Academy fell,
Durandal, who died protecting the academy, passed nothing of the God of Creation Weapons on to anyone.
“Kraush, are you planning to get stronger still?”
“Yes.”
Kraush‘s eyes shone fiercely.
He sought endlessly towards the heights.
The stronger he became, the easier it would be to protect the world.
For the sake of the impending ruin, Kraush would relentlessly strive for strength both now and in the future.
“Then when you return, I’ll teach you the God of Creation Weapons.”
Kraush’s pupils trembled.
Ever since learning Ashen Essence from Durandal, Kraush had grown significantly stronger than before.
If he could perfectly acquire the God of Creation Weapons this time…
‘Surely I can stand against the Beast King.’
Kraush’s fists clenched tightly.
The God of Creation Weapons undoubtedly contained that kind of power.
Although the acquisition process would be incredibly challenging, Kraush realized it was essential.
“Yes, I will learn.”
Without a hint of hesitation, Kraush responded.
Durandal, catching a glimpse of Kraush‘s fervent desire for strength, smiled.
“You’ll have a harder time than when you learned Ashen Essence.”
“Life is a series of continuous hardships. My specialty is rolling with the punches.”
That was quite the representative remark of a resilient soul.
“Travel well. I’ll see you when you return.”
And with that, Durandal beheld Kraush’s resilience, deciding he would take him on as his successor.
Kraush bowed deeply to Durandal.
Durandal was a second mentor for him.
“I’m grateful Durandal is the principal of Rahern Academy.”
At those unexpected words, Durandal let out a rough laugh.
On the day that he witnessed countless talents he raised soaring as the Sky Generation.
He would likely beam with happiness from the unexpected gift he received that day.
Kraush could certainly believe that.
