I Became A Thief Who Steals Overpowered Skills

Chapter 89

[EP.89] Exposed

Kraush dashed past the black forest.

The rainwater flowing along the forest evaporated the moment it touched Kraush’s body.

Even the intense black downpour couldn’t maintain its form around him.

Before long, Crimson Garden was gliding leisurely above.

Contrary to her relaxed gliding, the approaching dark clouds from beyond the forest were brimming with ominous energy.

[It’s coming.]

The moment Crimson Garden conveyed her intent, there was a short burst of crackling thunder, and Kraush stopped in his tracks.

Boom!

In front of the intense lightning that brightened the surroundings for a moment, Kraush’s eyes quietly blazed.

“Harphas.”

The moment Kraush uttered that name, lightning struck again from the clouds.

But without a moment’s hesitation, Kraush drew his Rain Thunder Prime.

As aura poured into Rain Thunder Prime, shaping the sword, he immediately thrust it towards the lightning.

Boom!

The explosion from Kraush’s Rain Thunder Prime split the black lightning.

It was the power of Lioner meeting the world erosion’s force that erupted from Kraush.

Having split the lightning, Kraush quietly exhaled smoke from his mouth.

The heat bursting from within him made Kraush lower his stance as the ground under him twisted and his muscles contracted like a spring.

Boom!

Then, Kraush, kicking off the ground, soared high into the sky.

As he flew, Kraush positioned himself against the clouds that produced the lightning.

“How long do you plan to hide in the clouds?”

As electrical energy coated the Rain Thunder Prime’s blade, turning it into a scabbard of sorts, the Annihilation Erosion power Kraush had blown into it collided within, amplifying its power to the maximum.

Crack!

With the shattered Lioner’s scabbard, Kraush’s sword slashed down towards the cloud.

Boom!

A black storm of flames, meeting the delayed lightning, devoured it and shattered the cloud.

Having absorbed world erosion since entering the Demonic Realm, Kraush was astounded by the strength of the black flames, which felt stronger than before.

Simultaneously, as much world erosion power as he had used surged back into his body immediately.

Kraush felt as if his body could infinitely supply the world erosion power as long as it held out, bringing an unprecedented vitality.

He had come to face Harphas in direct combat, knowing this fact, but the reality exceeded his expectations.

Yet, apart from that, a red-blood-like energy tumultuously surged somewhere within him.

“Madness?”

As the world erosion power strengthened, madness subtly began to creep into his mind.

Simultaneously, an intense urge to fight and a desire to kill surged within Kraush.

“Huff.”

Kraush, descending through the torn clouds, exhaled hot breath, reminding him why Demaris Balheim, who created the Extreme Blood Poison, went mad.

The spiritual corruption of madness was severe.

A moment’s lapse in concentration felt like it would lead him to massacre everything around him.

“Snow Doll.”

Thus, before the madness intensified, Kraush forcibly suppressed it using Snow Doll.

Gradually, the raging emotions began to subside.

It was still controllable with Snow Doll for now.

But it was unmistakably felt.

“I must obtain the Heavenly Slaughter Star.”

Without strengthening Snow Doll with Heavenly Slaughter Star, he would eventually be consumed by madness.

“This is good.”

He also learned how much he could handle world erosion within the Demonic Realm and roughly found his limit.

Feeling accomplished, Kraush lifted his head only to see a black monstrous figure emerging through the torn clouds.

A giant humanoid body with a head reminiscent of a black bird, wings larger than its spread body, and legs with talons like that of a bird of prey.

It was Harphas, the ruler of the eastern region, a 6-star erosion species.

An average knight order led by a master-level captain would be needed to hunt such a creature.

Kraush had just entered the highest level of experts.

Naturally, Harphas was considered an unbeatable opponent.

But there’s always a counter for everything.

Within world erosion, Kraush could infinitely supply world erosion power as long as his body endured.

Moreover, Kraush had desperately learned martial arts that allowed him to exceed his limits.

What does that mean?

Simply put, Kraush was optimized to confront world erosion species.

His goal wasn’t to trample over people and become the strongest but to prevent the destruction that begins with world erosion.

Boom!

The moment Kraush landed, Harphas spread its wings.

So vast were its wings that it momentarily appeared as if night had fallen.

Then, black feathers started pouring from its spread wings.

Hidden by the pouring black rain, the feathers were hardly visible.

But Kraush was different.

Crack!

Activated snap judgment recognized all feathers amidst the black rain.

As black flames surged on Rain Thunder Prime, Kraush’s sword moved.

Ching, ching, ching, ching, ching!

With incessant ringing of the sword and flickering of black flames, Kraush’s sword almost precognitively split all the feathers.

Numerous cut feathers embedded in the ground except where Kraush stood, reminiscent of a black thicket.

However, not a single feather was embedded where Kraush stood.

“Screech!”

Harphas screeched unpleasantly and spun in the sky once.

Harphas’s target was Nisrok.

Normally, it could have ignored Kraush and moved on.

But upon seeing Kraush, it couldn’t take its eyes off him.

Kraush, absorbing the world erosion power in real-time and growing stronger, was an irresistible prey.

What would happen if it devoured him? How much could it grow?

With that thought, Harphas fixated on Kraush, an incidental effect of the Extreme Blood Poison used to efficiently hunt erosion species.

Then, it stopped wasting feathers and began spinning rapidly in the air.

Lightning erupted from its body, wrapping around Harphas.

Its feathers stood on end like a porcupine, bristling.

Crack, crackle!

At that moment, Harphas changed its trajectory.

Diving down, Harphas vanished into the black forest in an instant.

The serene forest.

Only the sound of rain, not insects, echoed in Kraush’s ears.

Though Harphas had just been noisily shedding feathers,

The sudden quiet felt eerie.

Swoosh-

Following the wind that came with the pouring black rain, the black trees slowly swayed.

This scene evoked images of black ghosts, creating a creepy atmosphere.

Kraush’s ears twitched momentarily.

Slash!

That instant, Harphas appeared.

Folding its wings and setting its feathers like blades, Harphas spun towards Kraush.

Simultaneously, Kraush’s snap judgment directed his sword.

Shing! Crack!

Kraush’s sword clashed with Harphas, sparking a fierce spark.

Kraush took a couple of steps back from the impact.

Meanwhile, Harphas vanished again into the forest.

Fast.

Harphas was so swift that even snap judgment could barely keep up.

And the impact was strong enough to make Kraush, despite Annihilation Erosion, step back.

Moreover, it was clever.

It only attacked from positions that gave it a geographical advantage.

This was Harphas, the ruler of the east’s, technique.

Those who had come to hunt it in the past met their end through this attack.

Kraush exhaled quietly among the swaying black trees.

The fire of Annihilation Erosion within him seemed to be tempering, growing even more intense.

Harphas was undoubtedly faster than Kraush.

So, just one opening.

All he needed was one opening to smash it.

Kraush’s sixth sense penetrated more deeply around him than ever before.

Beyond the swaying trees, he faintly sensed Harphas, almost at the speed of sound, flying through the trees.

Even while flying at such high speeds, Harphas didn’t collide with any trees.

An incredible skill in flight.

Furthermore, it was getting faster.

As if it intended to end everything in one blow.

The creature seemed to want to shake off Kraush’s sixth sense by speeding up.

And as the high-speed flight reached its climax,

Kraush’s back foot slid back.

Crack!

As Kraush turned his head, the sound of rustling bushes echoed.

Flying alongside that sound was a single blade-like black feather.

Crack!

And almost simultaneously, Harphas revealed its true form on the opposite side Kraush had turned.

Using fast movement, it had thrown the black feather from the bushes and then flew to the opposite side to reveal itself.

A speed beyond the speed of sound.

Harphas sensed victory.

If Kraush tried to dodge the feather, its wings would slice him.

If Kraush defended against its attack, the feather would embed in him.

Either way, it would be a fatal hit.

Harphas let out a grotesque laugh befitting a monster.

“Annihilation Erosion.”

Kraush’s left hand, not holding the sword, extended backward.

Simultaneously, his upper body spun rapidly towards Harphas.

He had chosen the latter option Harphas thought of.

The second stage of Annihilation Erosion activated, breaking through his physical limits in an instant, surpassing his original speed.

As a result, Kraush could narrowly face Harphas’s direction.

“One second.”

For a brief moment.

In Kraush’s accelerated thought process, time seemed to stop.

Amid the rising black flames, the golden blade of Rain Thunder Prime revealed itself.

Even Harphas, breaking the sound barrier, felt slow to Kraush in that accelerated thought process.

Following such accelerated thoughts, Kraush’s body simultaneously thrust the sword.

Whisk-

The swiftly extended blade aimed for Harphas’s neck.

The speed was so absurd that Harphas couldn’t react, and the blade embedded without resistance among its feathers.

As the neck flesh began to tear, Harphas’s pupils dilated.

It realized it couldn’t keep up with Kraush’s movements.

But it wasn’t a monster for nothing.

Even as its neck was being ripped apart, Harphas spread its right wing.

Intending to rip Kraush apart before he could take its neck.

Crack!

But before its wing could fully extend, something flew in and embedded in the wing joint.

As a result, Harphas’s wing couldn’t reach Kraush and broke.

Harphas’s eyes widened in shock.

Embedded in the wing joint was a feather Harphas had thrown at Kraush.

In that instant, Kraush, having snatched the feather with his Black Hood, embedded it in Harphas’s wing.

Ding!

The moment of one second passed.

Something was sliced, and Harphas’s body crashed through the rain and shattered trees.

Quang!

So fast was its flight that it continued for a while even without a head before stopping.

Harphas’s head, rolling belatedly on the ground, was filled with disbelief that it had met its end here.

“I thought as much.”

Kraush, ensuring the kill, firmly embedded Rain Thunder Prime in Harphas’s head.

Crack!

The 6-star ruler of the east was slain by a young man.

Having defeated Harphas, Kraush exhaled a breath filled with heat.

The aftermath of raising Annihilation Erosion was brief.

The unique conditions of the Demonic Realm meant it was quickly replenished.

“I guess I can beat anyone here.”

His confidence grew a little.

Kraush, facing the worst spread of world erosion, found Annihilation Erosion to be the best martial art against it.

“I can stop it.”

Just as Kraush clenched his fists with certainty,

He had concentrated too much on Harphas.

Rustle-

It was then he belatedly realized someone was approaching.

“Kraush?”

A voice filled with surprise echoed.

Kraush turned towards it.

There, Lilish Balheim’s hair, resembling Kraush’s natural hair color, fluttered quietly.

Kraush’s sister stood with wide eyes, witnessing the scene.

“Reblian, that guy.”

Did he inform Lilish amidst the melee?

Even so, Lilish, who was dealing with Nisrok, couldn’t have been expected to come here immediately.

Kraush wore a wry expression.

How should he explain the situation?

That he, once called a halfwit, single-handedly hunted a 6-star erosion species.

But Kraush’s contemplation wasn’t long.

Because what followed from Lilish’s mouth froze him.

“How did you… Ignis?”

Charlotte, the Head Butler, everyone else.

Belorkin’s “Ignis,” which had mingled with world erosion to become black flames, should have been unrecognizable to anyone.

Yet, Lilish had recognized it.