### Chapter: 321
Bang, Bang!!!
In the midst of the ruckus outside the workshop,
Kraush was deep in concentration with his eyes tightly shut.
From his hands, a white liquid dripped steadily.
As the liquid hit the vessel, it formed a perfect round shape.
Aura’s Inner Sphere.
This was what Kraush was coaxing out of his own body.
Sweat streamed down his forehead.
The process required intense focus, leaving no room for distractions.
‘That noise must be Ebelasque and Haring in a fierce fight.’
There was no time to check how things were going outside.
Kraush didn’t even know which World Eroder they were up against.
If the enemy turned out to be worse than anticipated, anything could happen.
Someone could possibly die.
This world was unjust.
A single mistake could strip one of any chance for redemption without hesitation.
Kraush had made many mistakes in the past.
And he was here because he had regressed to avoid repeating those blunders.
‘I have to trust them.’
Kraush sank even deeper into his concentration.
All he could do now was trust the two and pull out Aura’s Inner Sphere entirely.
So, he poured all his energy into extracting it.
Bang!
A loud noise assaulted his ears once again.
It seemed like the clashes were accelerating, the noise reverberating continuously.
Time kept slipping away.
Kraush’s focus remained as strong as ever.
Clang!
Another Aura’s Inner Sphere dropped.
“Eek!?”
Suddenly, a woman’s scream echoed in his ears.
Kraush bit down on his lip.
Being so focused, he couldn’t even tell whose scream it was.
From a distance, urgent conversations could be heard.
It sounded like a crisis was looming.
Boom, Bang!!!
Another shockwave rattled the entire workshop.
Clang!
Yet another Aura’s Inner Sphere fell from Kraush’s hands.
But there was still more to extract.
He needed just a bit more time.
Now that he had grasped the technique of drawing out Aura’s Inner Sphere, Kraush focused even harder to pull it out.
Clang!
Just as Kraush extracted another Sphere,
Bang!!!
The door to the workshop burst open, flying off its hinges.
Kraush opened his sleepy eyes to see the door.
Thud, Thud!
Footsteps entered the door.
There stood a man with a dog’s snout peeking through long black hair.
The Rabid Dog.
The very creature whose master, Berkman, he had taken down to protect Bianca.
The Rabid Dog growled threateningly.
“Hmph, finally found you.”
His condition was far from normal.
He bore numerous wounds as if he had been through an intense fight and looked physically drained.
But the Rabid Dog paid no mind, having made it here after tearing through Ebelasque’s battlefield.
Through the broken doorframe, he spotted Ebelasque sprawled in a corner.
A large wound from an axe mark was carved into her chest.
Her shaky breaths indicated she wasn’t dead yet, but it was critical.
A personal fighter like the Rabid Dog.
Ebelasque, skilled in multi-enemy combat, had eventually found herself at a disadvantage from the very beginning.
Even having set up a battlefield for the Necromancer, Ebelasque had fought fiercely against the Rabid Dog, but he had still managed to crush her area of combat.
‘The Necromancer must never be given space to breathe.’
That was the winning condition for a Necromancer.
Ebelasque broke that rule to protect Kraush and stood before the Rabid Dog.
Kraush bit his lip until it bled.
Not yet.
He still hadn’t extracted all of Aura’s Inner Sphere.
‘Was it a mistake?’
The fog created by the refinement let things from outside in but kept things inside from escaping.
Of course, it wouldn’t be impossible with enough effort.
But if he did that, Igrit would notice, and a fight would be unavoidable.
So, Kraush planned to pull out Aura’s Inner Sphere entirely before jumping into the fight.
‘I never anticipated the Rabid Dog would come.’
The Rabid Dog had deployed his special illusion, Scream of Sorrow.
It inflicted damage internally on the target’s body upon hearing it.
Receiving this point-blank attack, Haring became utterly disoriented.
Stab! Swoosh!
After pulling out the dagger lodged in his arm, the chain that had been fixed to it unraveled in an instant.
Haring had thrown herself recklessly into the situation, leading to a prolonged engagement.
Who would’ve expected this delay because of a mere nuisance?
She had never imagined it would drag on like this.
“Hmph.”
Frustrated, the Rabid Dog raised his axe again, just as a bottle flew toward him.
He swung his axe at the incoming projectile.
Clang!
The broken bottle spilled toxic liquid onto the floor.
Turning his head, the Rabid Dog found Haring standing against the wall, battered and bruised.
In her hand was another vial similar to the one she just threw.
“Hah, ha, phew, phew.”
Haring panted weakly.
Drip, drip.
Blood trickled from her nose, ears, and eyes, soaking the ground beneath her.
At the same time, her left arm was swollen from where it had been chained, showing signs of severe trauma.
If she didn’t tend to it soon, she might not be able to use that arm again.
“Cough, cough.”
Just then, Haring spat out black blood and raised the vial once more.
She threw it at the Rabid Dog again.
This time, the Rabid Dog easily smashed it as well.
Staring blankly with glazed eyes, he looked at Haring.
“You’re not a mere fly, are you?”
The Rabid Dog decided to stop attacking Kraush first.
Instead, he aimed his axe directly at Haring.
At that moment, a light began to gather at the axe’s tip.
“A cockroach, then.”
Haring stared blankly at the light.
She could no longer muster the strength to resist.
She had given up on blocking that attack.
Instead, she fixed her gaze on Kraush through the light.
Have I bought him just a little more time?
Even if she died, Kraush had to remain safe.
She had to hold on just a little longer.
With this thought, she willed her unresponsive legs to inch forward.
At the same time, a violet aura of poison emanated from her body.
Then I’ll hold on just a bit longer.
To give Kraush time, as much as she could.
Even if it meant dying here, she wanted to buy him even just a second.
As Haring strained to muster her final strength, the light from the Rabid Dog flashed.
As it threatened to engulf her and obliterate her,
“Damn it, who are you calling a fly or a cockroach?”
A voice filled with blazing fury echoed.
When Haring feebly lifted her head, she saw a man standing protectively before her.
A brilliant white flame wafted from Kraush’s body.
The light that the Rabid Dog had unleashed ricocheted off Kraush’s sword and returned to him.
“Huh?!”
Startled by the sudden turn of events, the Rabid Dog swiftly swung his axe.
As a result, he was enveloped in the light’s explosion, staggering back while glaring.
In the midst of the chaos, Haring felt a warm energy enveloping her.
Kraush’s determined face appeared in her vision.
A clear rage was evident on his features.
“The one who has blocked you until now is Haring Lagrain. Remember that, you mutt.”
Kraush’s furious declaration rang out.
Haring realized that his anger was because of her, and strangely enough, felt a peculiar joy.
He was angry for her sake.
How foolish.
How foolish, but it couldn’t be helped.
Because she loved Kraush.
For him, she would throw herself into danger over and over again.
“Kraush...”
As Haring’s eyes met Kraush’s, she smiled like a fool.
“I’m glad.”
The words expressed gratitude that he was safe, even in her dire state.
Upon hearing this, Kraush felt a surge of emotion and bit his lip, pulling Haring into a tight embrace.
“That’s my line.”
Haring, relieved to hear those words, began to slip into unconsciousness.
But even as her consciousness faded, she didn’t feel fear.
Because Kraush would surely triumph.
Just as he always had.