TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 119
After finishing the deal with the Night God.
Kraush poured a potion over his leg to heal the wound, then passed through the corridor.
Before long, he found a room.
Inside, shattered holy relics could be seen scattered everywhere.
It seemed Haring had been diligently breaking them as instructed.
Following the trail of broken holy relics deeper inside, it didn’t take long before black hair came into view.
Raising a dagger high and smashing another holy relic, the person was none other than Haring Lagrain.
“Haring.”
When Kraush called out to her, Haring whipped around to look at him.
Her eyes, slightly wider than usual, met his.
“Did you take care of it?”
“Yeah, there’s no need to break them anymore.”
Haring slowly lowered the dagger.
Then, she visibly relaxed.
It was understandable since she had faced the Night God directly.
She had felt firsthand just how dangerous he was.
So it made sense that she would think she was in danger if Kraush’s method didn’t succeed.
It was fortunate she was someone who followed instructions well.
“Did you defeat the god?”
“Though it barely had the power to be called a god. Something like that.”
She looked at Kraush with curious eyes.
“Is everyone from Balheim like this?”
Kraush shrugged his shoulders.
“More so than me.”
“I see.”
As Haring accepted it easily, a loud thudding sound echoed from far off in the distance.
It seemed Aniks and the Erosion Species coming down this way had clashed.
Even without the Night God, Erosion Species were still Erosion Species.
They were never so well-fed as to ignore prey right in front of them.
“What will you do?”
Haring asked as she slid the dagger into her belt.
“We’ll regroup.”
Haring might not know it, but Kraush had used quite a lot of strength.
His legs were still trembling to the point that he could barely stand.
Regrouping with Aniks and his party was the sensible choice.
“Oh, and on the way, we’ll bring an Erosionist with us.”
“Let’s go.”
Without hesitation, the stoic Haring stepped forward the moment Kraush spoke.
As Kraush tried to follow her, his body swayed.
Thud!
Kraush barely managed to steady himself by stamping his foot on the ground, avoiding a fall with sheer willpower.
He had almost ended up rolling around pathetically.
Seeing this, Haring, who had been walking ahead, stopped and turned to look at him.
“Want me to carry you?”
“Do you even think you could?”
At his question, Haring moved her hand toward her hip and tilted her head.
“Probably?”
“Stop spouting nonsense and just go.”
Kraush sighed and was about to take another step when—
In that instant, his Sixth Sense flared.
[Dodge.]
With an instinctive sense of urgency, Kraush thrust his hand forward.
Right in front of him was Haring, and just as his hand gave her a light push—
Crash!
A Spider Erosion Species burst out as the outer wall crumbled, spinning silk directly at Kraush.
‘Damn.’
Kraush cursed inwardly as he shoved the wide-eyed Haring behind him, letting the silk entangle his own body instead.
The Spider Erosion Species swiftly snatched Kraush up and climbed upward in an instant.
“Kraush!”
Haring screamed as she chased after him, her gaze locking on the hole left behind.
But Kraush had already been pulled far away.
He was gone.
Nowhere to be seen.
Her eyes trembled violently.
At the same time, her breathing grew ragged.
‘No. Calm down.’
Forcing herself to calm down, she steadied her nerves.
The current situation had triggered her past trauma.
She had to pull herself together.
She was the only one who could save him now.
“Haring!”
At that moment, a voice called out from behind.
It was none other than Aniks and his group who had arrived.
Judging by their battered appearances, they had fought fiercely against the Erosion Species.
Aniks hurriedly ran toward Haring, scanning the area around her.
On his way here, he had spotted someone who appeared to be an Erosionist.
After securing them, he had rushed inside to find the two, but only Haring was here.
“Kraush is….”
“…He got captured because of me.”
Haring bit her lip hard.
She had been too slow to notice the Spider Erosion Species before it appeared.
Her detection abilities were weak.
Because of that, her reaction had been delayed, and Kraush had been taken in her stead.
If it hadn’t been for him, she would have been the one dragged away by the spider silk.
‘Why, in that state, did you… save me first…?’
She recalled Kraush’s condition.
His body had clearly not been in a normal state.
Even someone as strong as him had fought against a being imbued with the power of a god.
Knowing that, she had tried to escort him to regroup with Aniks’ party.
She hadn’t expected she would end up being the one protected instead.
How pathetic.
Despite all her training and growth, she still needed someone to save her.
She felt utterly worthless.
Clenching both her fists tightly, she steeled herself.
[It’s okay, Haring. I’ll protect you.]
Her childhood.
She remembered her older brother, who had shielded her during a World Erosion created by a World Erosion Being.
She also remembered, with vivid clarity, the ultimate sacrifice her brother made to save her.
She had no intention of allowing something like that to happen again.
“Help me. We have to save Kraush.”
So, Haring’s attitude changed.
Being affiliated with the Empire, she had always kept a certain distance from Aslan and his group, but now she was the one asking for help.
The cave was vertical in structure.
No matter how fast she moved, she couldn’t do it alone in time.
That’s why, when she asked, Aniks was already standing at the entrance of the cave.
At the same time, he pulled out a seed from his pocket.
“You don’t need to worry.”
Aniks’ crimson eyes gleamed brightly.
“Everyone from Twin Sprout will return safely.”
At that moment, the tree sprouted from his hand and surged upward toward the cave in an instant.
Aniks immediately extended his hand to grab a branch.
Following him, the members of Twin Sprout also grabbed onto the branches as they rose into the cave.
Realizing how they were moving, Haring followed and grabbed one of the branches.
As she did, she looked up at the cave ceiling and bit her lip tightly.
It was a silent vow that no one would ever die for her again.
* * *
After Haring’s voice quickly faded into the distance.
Kraush’s body thrashed wildly within the web.
As if the pain from Annihilation Asura wasn’t enough, it felt like he was really on the verge of death.
Moreover, his consciousness kept slipping further away.
[ Are you out of your mind? I told you to dodge, so why did you take the hit? ]
But thanks to Crimson Garden’s constant scolding ringing in his ears, he barely managed to stay conscious.
[ I can’t take this anymore. Falling for a woman, really! ]
That wasn’t it, so he wished she’d stop misunderstanding.
Thud!
At that moment, the vertical ascent through the cave seemed to stop, and Kraush rolled onto the ground.
‘First, I need to get out of here.’
The moment he confirmed this, Kraush immediately drew heat up from within his mouth.
Then, with the rising heat, he bit down on the web without hesitation.
The web dissolved, opening a small breathing hole.
Kraush quickly ignited Ignis at his fingertips, tearing the web apart with a loud rip.
As soon as he broke free from the web, Kraush tumbled to the ground, unable to land properly.
Crash!
After rolling once, Kraush exhaled a deep breath.
Then, as he lifted his head, he saw a massive passage with its ceiling and floor blown wide open.
The overwhelming size of the passage caused powerful gusts of wind to roar through it.
Whatever had passed through here must have been enormous, that much was certain.
It must be one of the Erosion Species that even Juyo said he couldn’t handle.
Along the sides of the passage, there were narrow paths just wide enough for a person to traverse.
Kraush was also standing on one of those paths.
“Screee?”
At that moment, the Spider Erosion Species noticed the severed web and turned toward him, its red eyes gleaming.
A quick glance at the walls revealed numerous holes scattered across them.
These must be the narrow paths where those creatures moved.
“What a mess.”
Kraush muttered under his breath, pulling off the web still clinging to his body.
As if the situation wasn’t bad enough, using Ignis again had taken a toll on his body.
Boom!
However, as if to deny Kraush any time to rest, another rumble echoed through the area.
Along with the danger signaled by his Sixth Sense, Kraush instinctively looked up.
There, a colossal spider appeared in the upper part of the passage.
The absurdly large spider filled the entire ceiling of the plaza, its red eyes swiveling.
It seemed the spider that had brought him earlier was its offspring, and this one was the mother.
[ What are you going to do now? ]
Crimson Garden clicked her tongue.
For once, it seemed she wanted to emphasize just how dangerous this situation was.
Meanwhile, the Mother Spider opened its massive jaws wide.
“Screeeeeeech!”
Its piercing screech echoed throughout the plaza, shaking it to its core.
Then came the crunching sounds from all directions.
Judging by the atmosphere, the Mother Spider was at least five-star level.
On top of that, it seemed there were plenty of spiderlings scattered around as well.
“Can you manage an emergency escape?”
[ If it’s just your head. ]
“I’d end up as a Dullahan then.”
[ This isn’t the time for jokes, is it? ]
Crimson Garden scolded him sharply.
But instead of responding, Kraush opened the small bundle in his hand.
The bundle was none other than the one Haring had carried at her side.
Back when he was captured in the web, Kraush had snatched Haring’s bundle.
[ …Don’t tell me, you weren’t trying to save that girl, but rather just aiming to steal the bundle? ]
Kraush remained silent for a brief moment.
As she had guessed, Kraush had no intention of getting kidnapped in Haring’s place.
The moment she was captured or harmed by the Erosion Species.
The one in the most danger would be himself, already drained from using Annihilation Asura.
That’s why Kraush chose to steal the Ragren Family’s poison bundle from Haring.
With it, there would still be a way to save her even if she were taken.
But, as fate would have it.
He had ended up being the one kidnapped instead.
It was a mistake, forgetting that World Erosion Beings are drawn to the power of World Erosion.
[ Bianca would surely approve if she learned your true motives. ]
Crimson Garden’s sarcastic tone reflected her disbelief.
A moment ago, she was chastising him for trying to save a woman, and now she was acting like this.
Just as Kraush reached into his pocket to retrieve the item, it happened.
Crashhhhh!
The sound of something erupting from behind him reverberated, accompanied by a tremor.
When Kraush turned around, he saw a tree had suddenly sprouted in the passage he had just emerged from.
‘Did they arrive just in time?’
Recognizing what the tree was, Kraush decided to close the bundle again.
It seemed there was no need to exert himself for now.
The one who had summoned the tree was none other than Aniks.
Sure enough, Aniks was the first to appear from the tree that had risen.
Spotting the Spider Erosion Species behind Kraush, he immediately raised his hand.
“Screee!”
At that moment, the rising tree pierced through the Spider Erosion Species’ body.
It was an instant kill.
However, Aniks didn’t linger on that but turned his gaze upward.
He had also spotted the Mother Spider.
Crunch!
The Mother Spider began descending from the ceiling.
Meanwhile, other members of Twin Sprout began to arrive one after another.
“Aniks, can you handle that?”
“I have to.”
Aniks rolled up his sleeves.
Even if the opponent was a 5-star threat, it was still Aniks.
Kraush stepped back, assuming Aniks would handle it without issue.
“Kraush!”
With a desperate voice calling his name, Haring rushed toward Kraush.
She hurriedly grabbed Kraush’s collar to check his condition.
Seeing her frantic actions, Kraush blinked.
He had ended up helping her, but her reaction seemed a bit excessive.
Haring’s body trembled as she clutched Kraush’s collar.
Observing her, Kraush’s innate perceptiveness kicked in.
‘This girl, something’s up.’
It seemed Haring had some kind of trauma.
And it appeared that he had inadvertently touched on it.
“Haring.”
Kraush spoke to Haring, who still hadn’t calmed down.
“I’m fine, see? Everything’s okay.”
As he covered her hand gripping his collar with his own, Haring flinched belatedly.
Then, as if coming to her senses, she slowly let go of his collar.
“Sorry, because of me…”
“More importantly, that’s the issue right now.”
Leaving her to calm down, Kraush gestured toward the ceiling with his chin.
As the Mother Spider began to move, Aniks immediately conjured trees in the passage and launched a fierce assault on the creature.
Riding those trees, the Twin Sprout members also launched a full-scale offensive, but it seemed it would take quite a while to bring it down.
“I can’t help. You’ll have to handle it yourselves.”
Originally, Kraush had intended to use a dose from the Poison Pouch, but things had taken a different turn.
As Kraush spoke, intending to leave the cleanup to them, Haring’s eyes regained their focus.
“I’ll take care of it.”
She drew her dagger and was about to leap forward when—
In that instant, Kraush’s sixth sense reacted once again.
“Damn it.”
Was no one going to let him rest?
Kraush frowned and raised his head.
Rumble—
At that moment, small stone fragments beneath his feet began to vibrate subtly.
“Kraush!”
Haring quickly turned back and rushed toward Kraush.
“Aniks! Something’s coming from above!”
Around the same time, a Twin Sprout member who had noticed the abnormal situation shouted.
“What?”
It was the moment the Mother Spider raised its head.
Crash!
With a deafening sound and tremors, the wall above the Mother Spider shattered.
“Brace yourselves for impact!”
Aniks immediately raised trees toward the ceiling to block the falling rock debris.
The rock debris descending toward Kraush was split apart by Haring’s dagger.
The poison imbued in her dagger easily cut through the rock.
But that wasn’t the real problem.
“Screeeech!”
The Mother Spider let out a piercing shriek, and its massive body collided directly with Aniks’s trees.
Unable to withstand the impact, parts of Aniks’s trees began to collapse.
As a result, several Twin Sprout members running atop the trees were exposed to falling rock debris.
“Aaaah!”
“Ugh!”
The screams of members unable to avoid the rock and tree fragments echoed everywhere.
It was in this chaos that Elphin and Aniks shone the brightest.
Despite the falling debris and broken trees, Elphin swiftly caught the plummeting Twin Sprout members with near weightless movements.
Aniks supported her by creating platforms beneath her feet, preventing the members from falling further.
“Screeeech!”
Meanwhile, the enraged Mother Spider spewed poison liquid toward the ceiling, thrashing its legs wildly.
As a result, the plaza turned into utter disarray.
Rock debris rained down, and thick smoke filled the plaza completely.
While the Mother Spider fought against something, Aniks hurriedly gathered the members and returned to Kraush’s location.
At the same time, Aniks quickly checked above.
Through the dense smoke, something came into Aniks’s view.
“…No way.”
In that moment, Aniks’s expression hardened.
There it was—a monster clinging to the Mother Spider with four arms, tearing into its flesh.
The monster’s form resembled that of an ape.
Not only was it far larger than the Mother Spider, but its skin was covered in countless thin, writhing tendrils.
Its glowing blue eyes lacked visible pupils, exuding an eerie chill that was unnerving to face.
A 6-star Erosion Species.
Decarabia.
It was the Erosion Species that reigned as the de facto king of this graveyard.