I Became A Thief Who Steals Overpowered Skills

Chapter 37 The Illusory Battle

Berkman, the Butcher.

His demeanor always bore the hallmark of madness, his actions whimsical and movements seemingly haphazard.

This often led to minor blunders, especially when he was toying with someone weaker than himself, his casual ruthlessness all the more highlighted.

Yet, his true strength lay in overcoming such flaws.

Escaping from the Empire’s Black Dragon Knights and surviving was a feat managed by only a rare few, excluding outliers like Sinchang and Mary Diana.

It was in the midst of such a moment that Kraush raised his hand.

Following a spell activated from his hand, Bianca’s hairpin, once stolen by Berkman, returned to him via the Black Hood technique.

Kraush meticulously secured the hairpin in his pocket.

Upon raising his head, there stood Berkman, annoyed and rising from the snow after having been knocked down, yet unharmed by the blow.

Had Bianca not been his captive, Kraush would have inflicted instant death with his aura-wrapped sword; Berkman was a formidable enemy regardless.

To kill him, it would require injecting the maximum amount of aura, and Berkman would have promptly detected and defended against it.

Surprise attacks were only effective amongst equals.

It was far too risky to gamble in Bianca’s captured state.

Hence Kraush was forced to choose the Short Power technique, effective yet non-lethal, a surefire way to separate Bianca from Berkman without detection.

Though missing the opportunity to strike lethally was disappointing, knowing that Bianca was safe was all that mattered.

“Who are you? Why do you interfere with my affairs?”

Berkman spat out harshly, his words twisting with dissatisfaction.

“Enough chatter.”

Right now, all Kraush wanted was to take Bianca and return to Hardenhartz.

He longed to treat her wounds as soon as possible.

Here and now, he was the only one capable of aiding her.

Crimson Garden’s crow couldn’t transport Bianca, and Ebelasque was bound by the unspoken laws of the world eroders.

Therefore, showing his back to Berkman while fleeing could lead to dangerous consequences.josei

So, Kraush decided that he must defeat Berkman then and there.

“After striking someone down, the youth today are truly savage.”

At that moment, as Berkman spoke, his shadow scattered.

“You’re making me lose my temper!”

Suddenly, Berkman’s axe came whirling and slashing towards Kraush with bending force.

Clang!

In a fleeting instant, Kraush’s sword filled the void, blocking Berkman’s axe.

‘So fast.’

His intuition barely kept pace with the attack.

Furthermore, judging by the sheer aura alone, Berkman was undoubtedly at the pinnacle of expert level.

Becoming a kin of a world eroder, he had surpassed his own limits.

Kraush had only recently matured to an expert of the mid-rank.

The difference in level was unmistakably apparent.

“Ah, you blocked it!”

Clang, clang, clang!

Berkman’s axe was swung several more times in rapid succession.

Each time, Kraush’s sword quickly filled the space, parrying the blow.

It was a blunt sword.

Still, a blunt sword’s merit lays in its ability to withstand the opponent’s full strength.

Being outweighed in pure strength, Kraush had to keep retreating, unable to take advantage of the sword’s spatial control.

“Keep blocking! Just try and stop me!”

Berkman’s characteristic taunting remarks burst forth in a light and dismissive tone, befitting a street thug rather than a warrior.

However, contrary to his lightness, the axe’s blows were enormously heavy.

Kaang!

Another clash sent Kraush’s blade flying open from the impact.

Berkman’s eyes flashed, grasping the opportunity.

With one hand freed from the axe, Berkman’s fist hurtled straight at Kraush.

Crack!

The distinct sound of impact resounded.

However, there was an unexpected turn of events.

“Ugh?!”

The grunt came from Berkman, the one who had unleashed the punch.

The explanation was straightforward.

Anticipating Berkman’s action through intuition, Kraush too had swung his own fist towards the initiating punch.

‘Short Power.’

The technique’s effect was confirmed as it pierced the exterior to deliver an internal shock, creating fractures in the bones of Berkman’s fingers.

Kraush’s left fist also suffered from the impact, despite the successful execution of Short Power.

Without it, Kraush’s fist alone would have been broken.

“Arghhh!?”

Berkman’s scream echoed as his bones cracked.

Kraush was not free from pain either.

He too had endured the impact, experiencing a bone-cracking sensation just as painful.

Yet Kraush instantaneously channeled strength into his sword, revealing his advantage in this aspect.

Swoosh!

His sword sliced through the air, grazing Berkman’s side.

Though aiming to pierce his gut, Berkman reacted just in time to avoid a fatal wound.

Between the spurts of blood, Kraush’s blue eyes gleamed sharply.

He was accustomed to pain.

He had endured far worse than this minor discomfort.

A simple fracture in his hand could not inhibit his movements.

‘I’m getting a hold of the rhythm.’

His thinking accelerated, and Kraush’s concentration peaked.

Successive punches followed by the sword strikes had Berkman wobbling.

Humans tended to shrink when feeling pain, including Berkman.

So, Kraush seized the moment, explosively surging his aura.

The energy seeped between the muscles in his arm and surfaced along the sword, painting it a vibrant blue.

‘Ignis.’

At his beckoning, the blue aura transformed into blazing flames.

Whoosh!

The flaming sword surged towards Berkman, the sudden wall of fire catching him off-guard.

And Kraush meticulously exploited that opening, intent on wounding Berkman at least a little.

“Damn it, irritating as hell.”

Yet, had Berkman been solely reliant on such tactics, he would never have stood against Charlotte prior to his regression.

“Bark!”

A sharp, brief bark emanated.

Kraush recognized it as a sign.

The sounds echoed, and the surroundings began to change color.

Where once there was a snow-filled mountain range, now it was being painted over in hues of red.

Dusk set in, and from all around, the sounds of barking resonated.

Kraush’s vision was engulfed in red.

His senses then started to reel uncontrollably.

‘Illusionary Bind.’

Differing from Berkman, who saw the environment clearly, Kraush was trapped in an Illusionary Bind, the world around him becoming distorted.

This technique layered aura over his opponent’s senses with sound, entangling them within.

Once caught in Berkman’s Illusionary Bind, Kraush would be rendered oblivious until the bitter end—a dreadful method indeed.

“Feel like dying now that you’re trapped?”

As Kraush remained motionless, ensnared in the illusionary effect post-assault, Berkman let out a taunting laugh.

However, the laugh didn’t match the panting of Berkman, who slowly gripped his axe.

He had realized that he was in more peril than anticipated when Kraush had pressed the attack.

A young child’s appearance, not matching his phenomenal strength and aura.

Having underestimated his opponent as a weakling to be easily subdued, Berkman now found himself with fractures in his left hand and a sword wound on his right side.

Given the situation, Hardenhartz’s search parties were likely soon to arrive.

It seemed prudent to end this quickly.

“Bark!”

He let out another bark, and his own senses subtly shifted.

The pain from his hand and the wound from the sword dissipated.

By casting illusions on himself, he removed the pains that could hinder him in the immediate fight.

Thus, he stepped forward methodically, gripping his axe with deliberate caution akin to a hunting hound.

Having resorted to Illusionary Bind, Berkman now considered Kraush to be a serious threat, warranting his full attention, and no longer underestimated him.

The epithet of “Butcher” rang true as Berkman began his real hunt.

‘That movement, following my axe since a while ago, is no ordinary movement.’

Even amid the Illusionary Bind, Kraush might still be able to counter.

Therefore, Berkman swung his axe in a wide arc, his target surprising—a tree trunk.

Crunch!

The tree fell instantly towards Kraush, and Berkman kicked off the ground, heading straight for Bianca.

That was the moment.

Crack!

Kraush split the falling tree and swiftly launched an assault.

Berkman, barely avoiding the sword approaching his face, glared at Kraush with bulging eyes.

In Kraush’s eyes, red waves rippled, a certain sign of being affected by Illusionary Bind.

But Kraush had intuition.

He possessed a countermeasure against Berkman’s illusionary technique.

Berkman let out a half-defeated, half-mocking laugh.

“Haha, you little dog!”

It was the first time in a while that Berkman had felt a shiver of genuine fear.

Kraush had been waiting patiently, his fangs hidden, until just before he struck.

‘He was baiting my overconfidence all along.’

Kraush’s gaze settled on Berkman.

His bearing as he looked straight at him seemed unbothered by the Illusionary Bind, almost as if he was outside its influence.

Now it was clear.

This man was not mere prey.

He was a formidable opponent entitled to a fierce battle, an equal menace, a predator in a struggle for dominance.

Clang!

The sound of the axe clashing with the sword resounded fiercely throughout the forest.

Kaga-Kang! The fight for power between the axe and the sword kicked up sparks.

Observing this, Berkman leaned in aggressively, opening his snout.

“If you don’t stop me, I will gouge out that girl’s eyes, cut off her fingers and legs, and stuff them into her mouth.”

Those were Berkman’s provoking words, meant to unsettle Kraush.

Yet Kraush remained unflinching, his expression unchanged even in the face of such taunting.

Seeing this, Berkman became certain.

‘This guy, he seems unaffected by the Illusionary Bind!’

Even if he didn’t know how Kraush penetrated the illusion, his senses were certainly not fully normal.

If that was the case, the advantage would tip towards him.

Kraush had the handicap of the lingering effects of the Illusionary Bind and had something to protect.

In contrast, Berkman needed only to attack.

With the advantage on his side, Berkman’s axe became a storm from every direction.

Kraush’s sword narrowly parried each strike of Berkman’s axe, but with each blow, Kraush’s body began to give way.

And that wasn’t all.

The illusions of Berkman’s axe began to mingle in the fray.

‘Welcoming War Axe.’

The true onslaught began, a myriad of illusory axes rained down upon Kraush.

Though Kraush had perfectly counteracted the Illusionary Bind with his intuition, he couldn’t fully negate the aftermath.

As evidence, the injuries continued to multiply across Kraush’s body.

“Argh, eugh.”

Ebelasque, watching from a distance, bit her lip tightly.

She hesitated as she watched the two engage in combat.

Kraush was the benefactor who had returned her heart.

Trade or no trade, even she had a code of honor.

She did not want to watch Kraush die just like that.

‘Should I step in? But if I do, that man will target me. No, not just me; he’ll decide Kraush is complicit and target him too.’

Behind Berkman, who had become a kin of the Butcher, was the world eroder Mad Dog.

Should he start targeting both her and Kraush, it would be a situation without escape.

Mad Dog was among the strongest of the world eroders.

And true to his name, he was relentless.

Once he sets his sights on a target, he won’t let go until they’re torn to shreds.

Thus, she helplessly paced back and forth, unable to intervene.

Boom!

In that moment, Kraush took a heavy hit from Berkman and tumbled to the ground.

Though he got up quickly, the assault left him covered in more wounds.

Upon seeing this, Ebelasque jumped to her feet.

No, it can’t be.

Even if it means death later, dying here would render everything meaningless.

[Do not intervene.]

The voice resonated in her mind.

It was none other than Crimson Garden speaking.

Ebelasque was perplexed.

‘Do not intervene? Does she not see Kraush dying?’

[Just watch.]

Crimson Garden’s voice came through once more, filled with certainty.

[The boy said he will win on his own.]

It was Kraush’s own declaration.

Thus, as his mentor, she must trust him and watch over him.

[Trust in the boy who returned your heart. He is a stubborn one, acknowledged by me.]

With the last message, Ebelasque slowly took a seat on the ground.

“…Really, if he dies, I’ll just resurrect him as a corpse.”

She muttered, hoping that such a measure would not become necessary.