### Chapter: 410


    vi, the Heavenly Seat.


    His twin swords wield a technique known as the “Kill God Twin Swords.”


    Once, it embodied the murderous intent of the Celestial Killers.


    Now, while hecks the celestial backing, deep within vi’s body, soaked for years in that realm, the primal desire to kill still surged.


    In this state, vi’s two swords, infused with the Kill God technique, shed against Kraush’s Star Sword.


    Ashen mes poured from Kraush’s body, igniting around vi.


    However, undeterred, vi ferociously swung at Kraush, appearingpletely unfazed by his own potential harm.


    It was as if he didn’t care what happened to himself.


    As Kraush deflected vi’s strikes, confusion clouded his mind.


    vi was now devoid of consciousness, acting only on rage and wielding his weapons.


    Yet, despite the overwhelming power of his true form, Kraush sensed a strange dullness in him.


    ‘Surely, the gods must have manifested.’


    At present, vi was under the influence of a god tied to his skill.


    Kraush expected that he would have lost control to the divine being.


    But something felt off.


    ‘Wait a minute…’


    Could it be that vi was resisting being overtaken by the god?


    Havingmanded an entire generation, vi was an exceptional fighter.


    Perhaps, unlike lesser beings, the gods struggled to seize control over powerful individuals like him.


    ‘If that’s the case…’


    Right now, it seemed vi was in a power struggle, both unable to im dominance over his own body.


    If this were the case, the murderous intent instilled within him could run wild uncontrobly.


    This was a usible scenario.


    And that meant,


    ‘For me, this is a golden opportunity.’


    Kraush had learned how dangerous a bodyprised solely of primal instincts could be during his past battle against the Beast King.


    But more perilous still was an intelligent individual stripped of that very sanity.


    If it were true that such consciousness had dissipated and only the body’s core instincts remained, an empowered vi would be easier to subdue.


    Kraush aimed a kick at vi’s abdomen after deflecting his de.


    But before his leg could reach its target, vi’s elbow intercepted with lightning speed.


    Every feint or distraction Kraush attempted was thwarted by vi.


    Even as Kraush exposed openings, vi refrained from charging recklessly.


    This was certainly no instinctive response from a mindless being.


    If vi had been purely acting on instinct, he would have jumped at any perceived opening already.


    Regardless, Kraush intuitively understood the reason behind this.


    ‘Veritas.’


    The ability to see through lies and truths.


    Could it be that vi’s god was the reason for this?


    Now, vi had unlocked the full expression of Veritas.


    Seeing the truth provided a monumental advantage inbat.


    No matter how many illusions Kraush threw, vi could decipher what was genuine.


    The evidence? Every single diversion Kraush conjured had been neutralized before his eyes.


    This was a considerable loss of advantage, akin to losing a critical tactic.


    Yet, this only applied when facing an opponent of equal strength.


    If one could unleash far superior firepower, then that advantage would be swallowed whole.


    What had Kraush been called in his past?


    The Crystal Cannon.


    Thest remnant of that moniker’s assertion was one thing.


    He was unparalleled when it came to sheer firepower.


    From this moment forth, Kraush disregarded the illusions entirely.


    Instead, he ignited the ashen mes with renewed ferocity.


    Kraush charged straight into battle as his de struck vi’s in a fierce confrontation.


    Perhaps due to Kraush’s reinvigorated intensity,


    vi’s swords faltered, unable to withstand the assault.


    Boom! Bang! Crash!


    The sh of swords faded into nothingness,


    leaving only the explosive power of mes in their wake.


    With relentless strikes, Kraush pushed vi back repeatedly.


    Even as vi gathered the aura within him to bolster his Kill God technique, it seemed insufficient to withstand Kraush.


    Observing this, Kraush couldn’t help but chuckle wickedly.


    “Trying to match my firepower? Good luck with that.”


    Kraush’s eyes glowed a striking gray, shing like a dragon’s pupils.


    Simultaneously, a greyish scale coating enveloped his entire face, smoke billowing from his mouth.


    zing Heavenly Dragon of Ash.


    A peak he had reached after countless battles.


    A chill ran through vi as his instincts screamed.


    He understood that if he continued to fight Kraush, he might very well meet his end.


    As vi stumbled back, Kraush’s eyes lit up with fervor, gathering more power into his de.


    Kraush had initiated another technique.


    Sword Light.


    An ability of the Sword King that allowed him to absorb his opponent’s power.


    The sword light radiated brilliantly, merging with the intensity of Kraush’s mes.


    “If you were nning to escape…”


    In that moment, vi felt the world around him shift to ashen shades.


    Realization struck him that he could neither evade this light.


    “You should have run from the start.”


    With a cunning smile, Kraush swung his sword.


    Annihtion Erosion.


    Seventh Form.


    Heavenly Fire Dragon of Annihtion.


    The soaring ash mes devastated everything in their path.


    Though vi desperately coated his body in aura for defense, he could not fully counter the onught.


    His entire body scorched, vi reeled and tumbled to the ground, coated in ash.


    Being flesh and blood, he wouldn’t die from this.


    But it was clear he wouldn’t move for quite some time.


    Kraush gracefullynded before vi.


    vi showed no signs of rising.


    Had he been in his prime, he might have rallied to attack in that condition.


    But now, his instincts had sumbed fully, powerless against Kraush’s might.


    Kraush raised his hand over him.


    ‘I sincerely hope this resolves the matter.’


    Kraush activated his ck Hood to steal vi’s skill.


    This was a gamble even for him.


    Once a god overtook his body, the power of the skill user could be rendered meaningless.


    But if the skills were under the control of the manifested god,


    ‘If I can’t fulfill the conditions set by the god, I won’t be able to seize the skill.’


    Kraush hoped that was not the case as he invoked the ck Hood.


    [Target: vi]


    As the ck Hood glimmered to life in his hand, Kraush clenched his fist tightly.


    ‘Got it!’


    He felt the skill that pierced through the truths of existence, Veritas, now in his grasp.


    Thankfully, his expectation hade true.


    ‘Next…’


    Was the god manifested within vi still present or had it vanished?


    Kraush quietly awaited his answer.


    “Grrr.”


    A sound of low growling escaped vi’s lips.


    Then, slowly, as he opened his eyes, he locked gazes with Kraush and said:


    “Kraush, you’ve made quite the mess.”


    Veritas activated, confirming he was indeed the real vi.


    The presence of the god had left him.


    Relief flooded Kraush as he rummaged through his belongings.


    He then poured a special emergency recovery potion made by Darling on vi.


    Seeing his burns start to heal brought somefort.


    Intense healing might bring some pain, as vi frowned, but it was far better than being in that state.


    “I feel much better now.”


    “Seriously, how did you end up possessed by a god?”


    Looking at vi catching his breath, Kraush clicked his tongue.


    If vi hadpletely lost control, it would have been nothing short of a disaster.


    “I can’t apologize enough. It happened faster than I expected. I was barely able to resist.”


    So vi barely managed to resist?


    It wasn’t surprising given how many others with skills had suffered the same fate at the gods’ hands.


    Still, relief washed over Kraush now that vi had returned to himself.


    vi, forcing his body upright, regarded Kraush.


    “As you know, due to my past ties with the Celestial Killers, mypatibility with the divine isn’t perfect, allowing me to retain some consciousness.”


    Kraush recognized the seriousness in vi’s tone and adjusted his stance.


    “Did you manage to learn something?”


    “It’s not so much that I learned, but I did sense the divine intent indirectly.”


    Kraush’s expression shifted to one of keen focus.


    vi took a deep breath before continuing.


    “It seems the gods n to unleash another wave of world erosion upon our realm.”


    Kraush’s eyes widened dramatically.


    “What does that mean?”


    “That’s as far as my insight goes. However, the manifestation of the gods is undoubtedly linked with the emergence of world erosion.”


    These damn bastards.


    After all Kraush had done to close the Kingdom of Jem and mitigate the effects of world erosion, the gods seemed determined to undo it with their presence.


    “Thank you for sharing this information.”


    This revtion presented a more pressing reason to prevent the gods’ manifestations and uncover the truth behind them.


    “Your skills could help stave off the manifestations, right?”


    That was indeed the case.


    In the face of a possible second Ragnarok where the gods manifested,


    Kraush was the only one equipped to stop them with his ck Hood.


    “Yes, it seems I have to be something akin to a skill thief.”


    A skill thief.


    One who needed to steal every skill out there in the world.


    *


    After wrapping up the situation with vi, Kraush sessfully found Seirang, who had been hiding in a closet.


    Today was the day he had warned her she could be in peril.


    Feigning indifference but clearly frightened, Seirang decided to cower in the closet until the dust settled.


    “No matter how much you study astrology, the unpredictable nature of the world always seems to prevail.”


    Upon hearing about vi’s possession by a god, Seirang looked perplexed.


    “Seirang, knowing that skills can attract divine manifestations, I think we need to collect them all.”


    There was no guarantee these events wouldn’t recur.


    Thus, Kraush decided to retrieve every skill present within Sephira.


    Perhaps it was due to the recent incident with vi,


    but people seemed surprisinglypliant in relinquishing their skills.


    Skills were valuable, but the prospect of catastrophe outweighed their worth.


    Moreover, their willingness toply was surely helped by Kraush’s reputation.


    “Isn’t what you’re doing for the greater good?”


    “Who could refuse when the one who saved the world bows down?”


    Kraush met each skill bearer one by one, humbly requesting their skills.


    In response, they trusted Kraush’s sincerity and willingly transferred their skills to him.


    ‘Turns out my journey wasn’t in vain.’


    Having lived a life without skills before, Kraush understood how monumental this gesture was, and he expressed his gratitude multiple times.


    The total number of skills he retrieved was four.


    Never had he imagined it would be so simple to acquire skills he had struggled to attain.


    ‘Besides, acquiring them like this…’


    There would be countless more skills to gather in the future.


    Kraush was, after all, human.


    There were limits to his applications.


    ‘I need to put to use what I’ve got, but…’


    If he found himself consistently outmatched in applications, it would be better to rece them with divine techniques altogether.


    “I can’t believe it.”


    Kraush stood before the magical space opened by Crimson Garden, rolling his shoulders back.


    “Honestly, I never expected to be collecting skills after closing the Kingdom of Jem.”


    It was time for him to step into the role of a skill thief.