Chapter 55
The Original Spirit Sage.
And until now, only one has ever existed.
This individual created a brand new paradigm of spirit magic through contracts with spirits.
He was a man of the Igrit family.
He achieved remarkable feats worthy of being called a hero alongside the spirits.
However, spirit contracts became a complete taboo in the world.
The reason was simple.
After the death of the Original Spirit Sage, the spirits left behind became twisted, having lost their master.
They didn’t understand the concept of death and, in the thought that their master had abandoned them, they went on a rampage.
As a result, that rampage soon obliterated an entire city.
From that incident, the world learned a definitive lesson.
Spirits are beings of erosion, and they are entities that must never be trifled with.
That record has continued to this day, and the Igrit family feels a sense of responsibility, maintaining the Spirit King’s Forest to this very day.
Crimson Garden gazed skyward with a troubled expression.
“I captured that rampaging spirit back then with the help of my subordinates.”
Having witnessed the spirit’s rampage and feeling a sense of responsibility, she did whatever it took to capture the spirit.
“And I returned it to the Spirit King’s Forest.”
She believed that in the Spirit King’s Forest, the spirit would revert to its original state.
But that didn’t happen.
The spirit that lost its master endlessly yearned for its owner and didn’t know how to stop its rampage.
As a result, the spirit’s mind completely shattered.
Thus, what was born was a chaotic spirit.
“Well, that means it’s coming here now.”
“The spirit judging people sees things differently. The Original Spirit Sage was my subordinate, so my presence left an imprint on it. So, when it sensed that, it felt that its master had returned and is coming this way.”
It had been a long time since the Original Spirit Sage died.
Yet the spirit could not forget him, and upon sensing Crimson Garden’s presence, it was making its way here.
“The chaotic spirit has no reason. During its rampage, it swallowed far too much malice, leading to its own mental breakdown. So, it can’t distinguish right from wrong. It’ll drag my subordinate and you into chaos as well. Therefore, we need to escape before that happens.”
It was likely still following that scent now.
For this reason, Crimson Garden attempted to cast a magic circle to get out.
However, Kraush suddenly jabbed her in the side.
“Eek!?”
A surprisingly cute yelp escaped her lips.
As Crimson Garden looked at Kraush in disbelief, he clicked his tongue.
“Don’t you remember what I said earlier? We need to get the egg.”
“Did you not hear me?”
“I heard you.”
“Are you really wishing for your own death?”
But despite that, Kraush was checking his sword.
“…Wait, you’re not actually—”
“I know what the chaotic spirit is.”
Crimson Garden’s eyes shook.
She realized that Kraush intended to fight the chaotic spirit.
“And if we just leave it be, that broken thing won’t even be able to return.”
As Kraush spoke, he looked up at the sky.
Something dark was once again gathering at the end of the sky.
Even now, it was moving at an incredible speed.
Or should it be considered determination instead?
“…Can you really do this? I can’t fight in my current state. I won’t be able to help.”
The chaotic spirit was now just an erosive being rampaging without reason.
Crimson Garden surely knew that.
She had released the spirit back to the Spirit King’s Forest out of old feelings, but in reality, she had already long given up.
So, she asked Kraush.
Could he bring the chaotic spirit to an end?
“Sorry, but…”
At that moment, black flames surged from Kraush’s body.
The power of world erosion meeting Ignis began to ignite.
“I was the one who originally took it down.”
Although he wasn’t alone back then, of course.
＊ ＊ ＊
Kraush recalled the time he had been to the Spirit King’s Forest before.
If one were to mention the most troublesome being in the spirit forest, it was undoubtedly the chaotic spirit.
The spirits that had turned into chaos were impervious to conventional attacks.
The only attack that could be inflicted upon such a chaotic spirit was one thing.
‘Skills.’
Only a skill infused with divine power could have an effect.
But even skills weren’t all-powerful.
While there were offensive skills, many were supportive as well.
If one were to rely solely on skills to confront the chaotic spirit, there were not many even from the Celestial Generation who could stand against it.
Looking at the chaotic spirit, what was Kraush thinking?
Ironically, it could be said that this was the optimal state for Kraush to face the chaotic spirit.
He currently possessed two skills.
One was Black Hood.
The other was Ignis.
Black Hood was far from offensive, but Ignis was different.
The fire of the divine that burns everything away.
Ignis was the most aggressive skill among all the skills he possessed.
Moreover, the property of Ignis allowed all conventional attacks to take effect against the chaotic spirit.
‘So now’s the time to catch it.’
The chaotic spirit grew stronger as time passed by absorbing the world’s erosion within the Spirit King’s Forest.
For that very reason, when the Celestial Generation visited the Spirit King’s Forest, the chaotic spirit had grown into an uncontrollable monster.
‘Back then, it was within so I figured I wouldn’t be able to catch it now.’
Thanks to Crimson Garden bringing it out to the outskirts, he couldn’t be more grateful.
He’d finally have the chance to solve one troublesome problem.
Along with the egg of the Spirit King as well.
Ku-gugugugugum!
The black darkness began to engulf the golden sky.
“It’s coming.”
Just as Crimson Garden’s voice quietly echoed, Kuwung!
A mass of black liquid plummeted before Kraush and her.
It resembled an entity created by concentrating darkness to its maximum.
And that liquid began to stretch and form a human shape.
Though the lower half remained a black liquid mass, the upper half transformed into a proper human form, extending long arms.
[Ahg, ni.]
At that moment, the voice of the chaotic spirit rang in his mind.
Hearing that voice brought a slight headache, almost like a curse-filled scream.
Looking at the chaotic spirit, Crimson Garden averted her gaze bitterly.
For her, who saw the world through her servant, the chaotic spirit once used to be an ally.
Seeing this former ally’s fate in such a form didn’t please her at all.
‘Such an emotional fellow.’
That’s why it couldn’t stand to see Arthur’s minions tortured and ultimately revealed the main body’s location.
But this time would be different.
‘I’ll need to become the strongest before I surpass Arthur, so it must help me.’
She had no intention of letting Crimson Garden’s chains remain.
And the first to break those chains was right in front of her.
Thud, thud-
The chaotic spirit began to lift its arms, dripping black liquid.
The chaotic spirit indiscriminately unleashed its attacks without intent.
All it had left was a consciousness of destruction.
[Ah, gni.]
As the voice reverberated once more, Kraush drew up his aura and stomped the ground.
In that moment, black liquid shot out from the chaotic spirit’s fingertips like a barrage of arrows.
Pababababak!
As Kraush twisted to evade, black arrows struck the ground, staining it with darkness.
Kraush recognized that it was a type of curse.
If struck, one would rot into blackness instantly.
The barrage of arrows kept flying as if there were no limitation to how many it could shoot.
The downpour of black arrows looked like a torrential rain.
However, Kraush didn’t retreat at the sight of this arrow storm.
He started dodging, performing acrobatics to evade the arrow rain.
His sixth sense was beyond any ordinary perception.
The expanded awareness allowed him to recognize every object in his vicinity, crafting the shortest escape routes.
Whoosh!
The flames of Ignis, fueled by the power of world erosion, ignited even the black arrows.
Such low-level curses would simply be devoured by the flames of Ignis.
Kraush’s focus intensified as he fully understood and applied his available resources.
‘It’s possible.’
He realized while countering the black arrows.
Even though the chaotic spirit was now weaker than before, it was still a threat.
‘It’s not as if the entire world is covered in erosion yet.’
Back then, the Spirit King’s Forest was so uncontrolled that it tore down even the walls guarded by the Igrit family, and it had proliferated immensely.
Thus, as the realm consumed by the Spirit King’s Forest expanded, the chaotic spirit had also grown in strength.
But now, perhaps, it was the smallest era for the Spirit King’s Forest.
The power of world erosion that the chaotic spirit could absorb was limited.
Clang!
As Kraush charged forward through a break in the arrows, he came face to face with the chaotic spirit.
As his blue eyes sparkled, the chaotic spirit felt a sense of intimidation.
The black arrows failed to penetrate Kraush.
The moment the chaotic spirit realized that fact, it changed its tactic.
Ku-wung!
At that instant, a resonance reverberated beneath the chaotic spirit.
The darkness, black as ink and cascading beneath it, surged up like a wall.
It shot up high enough to block out the sunlight, towering above Kraush and began to crash down upon him.
If the arrow storm didn’t work, it would crush him with this wall instead.
As he surveyed the imminent wall of darkness crashing down, Kraush stomped the ground.
In that moment, the force of world erosion and his aura collided, beginning to swirl together.
The muscles in Kraush’s legs bulged as he prepared.
Boom!
With a plume of smoke, Kraush shot straight up.
The black wall came crashing down toward him.
Under the collapsing wall, Kraush, with immense momentum, drew his sword back into its sheath.
As the aura forced into the sheath surged out wildly, it began to progressively condense its power.
Whoosh!
As the power of world erosion flowed into the sheath, Ignis ignited.
When that explosive strength swelled enough to burst open the sheath…
Kraush unsheathed with lightning speed.
Kiikikikikikik! Kwuang!
The arc of Kraush’s sword sliced through the bottom of the black wall.
The wall of darkness that passed overhead plummeted, stirring up smoke throughout the forest.
The chaotic spirit appeared right before Kraush.
Unexpectedly, the chaotic spirit wasn’t prepared for the black wall to be cut, and as it instantly pointed its hand at Kraush, numerous black arms shot up from beneath it.
However, Kraush’s sixth sense recognized all the movements of those arms.
As the arms came crashing in from all directions, Kraush’s sword moved accordingly.
It was none other than the territory of his swordplay.
With every strike of Kraush’s sword, the black arms were incinerated by Ignis.
Kraush wielded that swordplay to dominate the chaotic spirit’s space and ultimately led him in close to the chaotic spirit.
Thud!
When Kraush finally reached the chaotic spirit, his consciousness reached a state of mind that felt like merging with everything.
His sword brimmed with surging aura as it grasped the force of the moment.
[Ahg…….]
As the chaotic spirit extended its arm for one last desperate grab…
At that moment, black flames roared up on top of Kraush’s sword.
One Sword.
The black line cleaved through the air.
As the black flames surged into the gap created by the cut…
[Ahg, nii……. ]
The voice of the chaotic spirit, mixed with a scream, resonated clearly as the chaotic spirit was cleaved in two.
