I Became A Thief Who Steals Overpowered Skills

Before the storm of raging black flames.

Kraush was catching his breath, gripping his sword tightly.

Using the ten seconds of Annihilation Asura and the instant enhancement elixir, he had reached Annihilation Heavenly Asura.

As he had felt before, the cost was manifesting vividly in his body.

Yet, Kraush held onto his mental strength with incredible willpower.

At the same time, he forcibly suppressed Heavenly Slaying Star and Madness while raising Nox and the Snow Doll simultaneously.

‘I must keep applying this in real combat going forward.’

Collapsing after every battle was not an option.

Eventually, war would break out, and if it became prolonged, relying on one-time awakenings was dangerous.

So, Kraush was determined to endure and accumulate as much practical experience as possible, even if just once more.

At that moment, his half-closed eyes gleamed sharply as they focused ahead.

Simultaneously, through the black flames, a sword thrust straight toward Kraush’s head.

Blood Demonic Sword.

The sword wielded by the Mad Sword Emperor.

Just as Kraush hurriedly raised Thunderstorm and tried to lift his sword again.

Boom! Bang! Boom!

Massive swords embedded themselves all at once in front of Kraush, forcibly stopping the Blood Demonic Sword.

Those swords were none other than the Emperor’s Annihilation Swords,

a secret technique of the Sword King, Rai Valheim.

Beyond the Emperor’s Annihilation Swords, the Mad Sword Emperor’s face came into view.

The man’s one arm dangled in tatters, over half of his body covered in burns, blood dripping steadily from his punctured wounds.

His eyes were ablaze with fury, unable to accept his current state.

Even so, his gaze was more composed than consumed by rage.

He knew.

He knew that if Rai and Sena joined forces against him in his current state, there would be no way out for him.

Even more so, with the looming threat of Ebelasque.

Above all, there was Kraush, who had reduced him to this pitiful condition.

The most dangerous individual to the Mad Sword Emperor at the moment was none other than Kraush.

This was because the Mad Sword Emperor didn’t see Kraush’s limits.

Kraush showed no sign of his body nearing its limits as he lifted Thunderstorm.

Just that act caused the Mad Sword Emperor’s expression to twist, his body recoiling.

It was proof that his body remembered the attack it had just endured.

“…Who are you? I’ve never heard of someone like you among the World Eroders.”

As expected, just like with Ebelasque and the Armored Princess, the Mad Sword Emperor mistook Kraush for a World Eroder.

Seeing the wary look in his eyes, Kraush laughed dryly to himself.

He hadn’t even thought he could take him down from the start.

‘But I figured I could at least damage him enough so he couldn’t move right away.’

Kraush had poured everything into the fight, even using Annihilation Heavenly Asura.

Yet, despite his all-out effort, the enemy showed no signs of going down.

Frankly, without Haring’s Invisible or Sena’s support, Kraush wouldn’t have been able to reduce him to this state.

The Mad Sword Emperor would surely have evaded everything.

‘Even the arm—it was originally meant to target his neck.’

It was purely the instinctive sense of danger that allowed the Mad Sword Emperor to detect and evade Invisible.

This was why Kraush hated fighting World Eroders.

Every single one of them was a monster.

Once again, he felt the immense gap between himself and the World Eroders.

Still not enough.

There was still a long way to go.

Kraush’s eyes blazed with determination.

The world was full of people like the Mad Sword Emperor.

On top of that, there were the most dreadful beings that would emerge from the spreading world erosion.

Such beings were the kind of monstrosities that even wiped out the Sky Generation, plunging everything into hell.

It was Kraush’s role to stop such devastation from taking place.

Perhaps that was why his resolve reignited, burning stronger than ever.

“Kraush!”

Haring, who had been standing back, finally rushed to his side.

She stood beside him, holding a dagger as her body trembled.

That trembling was born of fury.

The Mad Sword Emperor before her looked exactly like the memory of that day.

However, she didn’t charge forward recklessly.

She had promised Kraush she wouldn’t lose herself to anger and rush in blindly.

“You okay?”

Kraush asked, pretending to be calm as he caught his breath.

Haring slowly nodded in response.

The reason her older brother was murdered during the Lagrin family incident was because of the Mad Sword Emperor.

Yet, her face now appeared more serene than ever.

“I made a promise earlier.”

After calming herself down earlier with Kraush’s help, Haring had repeatedly reflected on the situation.

No matter what happened, she would control her hatred.

Only then could she repay the debt she owed Kraush.

As long as he was there, she could remain composed.

“And more than anything, Kraush landed a blow on him.”

Haring’s eyes sparkled as they locked onto the Mad Sword Emperor’s injured arm.

She felt a faint sense of satisfaction at having contributed, even slightly, to her revenge.

It was a natural feeling, given that she had resented the Mad Sword Emperor her entire life.

“Good. As long as you’re not blinded by revenge.”

Kraush had encountered countless people consumed by vengeance in his life.

If Haring could maintain this level of control, she would manage well even without him.

At that moment, the Mad Sword Emperor showed signs of movement again, prompting the Emperor’s Annihilation Swords to strike.

As the swords came crashing down to bind him, the Mad Sword Emperor became wholly focused on evasion.

Even someone like him had been struck directly by both Sena’s attack and Kraush’s blow.

This meant his physical condition wasn’t great either.

There was clear evidence of this—his movements were slower than before.

However, that didn’t mean he could yet be cornered.

“Kraush.”

At some point, Rai had approached and called out to Kraush.

Watching the relentless assault of the Emperor’s Annihilation Swords, Kraush tried to stop him.

“Brother Rai, we can’t keep fighting the Mad Sword Emperor.”

“What do you mean?”

“The world erosion he caused has a peculiar property—it grows stronger the more he fights against powerful opponents.”

The power of world erosion would only continue to intensify.

Even at this moment, Hadenhartz was in danger.

Rai frowned.

He hadn’t known this until Kraush pointed it out.

“…Hadenhartz has the First Sword,”

Rai said, his eyes gleaming fiercely.

“If they’re involved, there’s no issue.”

That statement implied Rai intended to keep fighting the Mad Sword Emperor.

“Even if the First Sword can handle it, Hadenhartz itself won’t be able to withstand the world erosion.”

Kraush firmly rejected Rai’s stance.

As First Sword exerts all its power, Hadenhartz will truly become a wasteland.

Moreover, World Erosion doesn’t only affect its master.

If even the regular Erosion types grow stronger, it is the residents of Hadenhartz who will have to bear the consequences.

“Besides, that guy will run off soon.”

“…Run away?”

“Yes, after all, his goal has been achieved. This is something I heard directly from the leader of the Night Raven, who used to be on the same side as him.”

Rai’s expression turned subtle.

Well, the declaration just now implied that Kraush was connected to the World Eroder.

“So you acted independently for that purpose.”

And it seemed Rai had noticed Kraush had left the Hadenhartz main building on his own.

Rai glanced at Kraush with narrowed eyes.

Kraush and Rai didn’t share a particularly close relationship.

However, he did understand Rai’s personality.

Rai prioritizes practicality above all else.

If something offers tangible benefits, he is quick to accept it.

That’s the kind of person Rai was.

So Kraush had deliberately shared this information directly.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Kraush showed confidence in his statement.

The Mad Sword Emperor enjoys fighting the strong.

However, he doesn’t put his life on the line for it.

This contradictory nature of the Mad Sword Emperor is what irritates people.

Despite enjoying battles with the strong, he flees immediately when faced with the risk of death.

‘That’s why he managed to survive so persistently back then too.’

Every time he triggers World Erosion, he relentlessly escapes, which is exasperating to no end.

On top of that, he has the Black Witch backing him.

If the Black Witch takes him into her independent space, it’s over.

But for Kraush, that was actually an opportunity.

Kraush was confident he could tie down the Black Witch’s attention.

So all he needed was one way to finish that guy.

‘My output isn’t enough.’

Kraush’s gaze turned to Rai.

“Brother Rai.”

Kraush slowly raised the Thunderstorm.

Perhaps as a result of using Annihilation Asura, his arm was trembling just from lifting it.

It’s no easy task to keep up appearances.

“You have something from the family head, don’t you?”

When Kraush was born, Rai received a sword bestowed upon him by the family head.

With that sword, it might be possible.

Rai’s eyebrow twitched slightly, as if to ask how Kraush knew about it.

However, the expression on Rai’s face soon faded.

He wasn’t the type to pry into things for too long.

“Let’s use it.”

There was no time to be picky about options now.

If they let the Mad Sword Emperor escape here, there was no telling when they might catch him again.

“…That sword is still unfinished.”

Even though it had been given to him when Kraush was born, the sword remained incomplete.

That was how challenging it was to perfect.

“But it means it can still be used, doesn’t it?”

Kraush knew firsthand just how extraordinary the sword’s destructive power was.

Rai stared at Kraush intently.

A mere 15 years old.

The youngest in Valheim, and once rumored to be a half-wit.

Rai, who had never shown affection for his family—even less so than his second sibling, Lillish—didn’t care for family bonds.

Perhaps because of that, he judged Kraush purely as a resource at this moment.

While Rai could see Kraush’s energy steadily decreasing, the output he had demonstrated moments ago had been impressive enough to surprise even Rai.

After all, even though he wasn’t quite on Charlotte’s level, Rai was still a genius who had earned the title of Sword King, yet he couldn’t have produced such output at the age of 15.

Could Kraush fulfill his role as a combatant here and now?

The answer was obvious—there was no need to hesitate.

Kraush was a direct descendant of Valheim.

Valheim wasn’t a foolish family that ignored talent simply because of age or status.

“Bind him securely.”

Rai’s eyes, the same shade as Kraush’s, gleamed as they locked onto the Mad Sword Emperor.

“Then I’ll finish him off.”

Hearing the most reliable words spoken so far, Kraush smiled.

“Haring, give me some Red Tiger Pill.”

Kraush extended his hand toward Haring.

Haring looked at Kraush reluctantly.

If it were up to her, she wouldn’t want to hand over the Red Tiger Pill at all.

Even though her sworn enemy, the Mad Sword Emperor, was standing right there, Haring couldn’t bear to see Kraush struggling.

Still, she soon opened her pouch with a Red Tiger Pill.

“Kraush.”

As she placed the Red Tiger Pill in his hand, she spoke.

“Let’s win.”

Her clear eyes shone brighter than ever as she cheered not for personal revenge, but simply for victory alongside Kraush.

Kraush, seeing her sincerity, gave a small smile and tossed the Red Tiger Pill into his mouth.

“Of course.”

A smile spread across Haring’s lips.

It was the most reliable answer she could hope to hear from him.

[Can you handle this?]

Just then, Crimson Garden, sensing what Kraush was about to do, spoke in a concerned tone.

“I came this far to handle it, didn’t I?”

Crunch!

Kraush bit into the Red Tiger Pill and swallowed it.

The vitality that had been sapped by Annihilation Asura began to course through his body again.

His body, which had been pushed to its limits, regained some life, if only briefly.

But this borrowed time wouldn’t last long.

“Haring.”

When Kraush called her, she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his waist.

It was to activate Invisible.

“This will be even hotter than last time.”

“It’s fine. I can handle anything.”

Reliable as ever.

Kraush glanced at Sena.

She nodded, silently signaling that she was ready to join him whenever necessary.

“Brother Rai, we’ll make sure he doesn’t escape.”

Black flames began to surge around Kraush’s body.

Even though his body had briefly recovered thanks to the Red Tiger Pill, he was already pushing it to its limits again.

He showed no concern for the price he would pay later.

Kraush knew how to stop the Black Witch, who would surely aid the Mad Sword Emperor’s escape.

‘Ignis.’

It had been a long time since Bellokin was killed by Charlotte.

When the Sword King, Rai Valheim’s son, turned twelve, the boy had acquired Ignis.

And then, there was a major incident in Valheim when Ixion attempted to abduct Rai Valheim’s son.

The fury of Valheim was directed at Ixion, and in the resulting full-scale war, Ixion made the worst possible choice.

Kraush, who vividly remembered that time, clenched his fists tightly.

By harnessing Ignis’s purifying power, it was possible to extract the purest force of World Erosion.

For those who sought to create a god, Ignis was an ability they could never afford to lose.

And now, that very ability was in Kraush’s possession.

‘They’ll definitely take the bait.’

He knew he could become the perfect lure to ensnare Ixion.

[Break your body completely. Break it.]

Even Crimson Garden was left speechless by Kraush’s relentless determination.

“Let’s drive them into a corner.”

As Haring activated Invisible, Kraush’s figure vanished from sight.

Now, it was time to drop the pitch-black star.

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