With haste, the now-powered-up Noah soared through the dark corridor!
No matter the obstacle, he passed and even phased through everything that stood in his path—thanks to the 'ghost' power given to him!
And eventually, he reached the central intersection of the hospital—
"—HELP!!!"
And there... was the very person who had been screaming her lungs out!
"Please help!!!"
It was, of course, none other than the 'girlfriend' of the duo couple from the group!
She was running through the dark corridor, her expression filled with terror as she constantly glanced back toward the void darkness behind her...!
As if she was being relentlessly chased by something unseen...!
Noah promptly descended, landing his feet and skidding on the dusty hospital floor before running toward Miss 'Girlfriend'...!
"Hey! Over here!" he quickly shouted, waving her toward him.
Miss Girlfriend's head snapped toward his direction, eyes widening...!
"Y-You...! Oh, thank goodness...!!!"
And without hesitation... she made a mad dash toward him!
But what Noah didn't expect—
"Hey! What happened?! Where's the other... huh?"
—was Miss Girlfriend suddenly lunging at him!
Before he could brace himself—
"Guh—!?"
She slammed into him and wrapped her arms around him in a tight, trembling hug—!
"Please save me...!!!"
"H-hey!? W-what are you doing?!" he protested, confused but also flustered by the woman clinging to him with her dear life! "G-get off from me—"
"—Nooooo! Pleassee don't let me gooo...!!!"
'Hey!!! You damned wretched things—!'
Evangeline's furious voice echoed inside his head, practically screaming into his ear that it even made him wince in pain...!
'Unhand my mortal vessel this instant!'
"E-Eva, not helping here...!" he whispered through gritted teeth, trying to shake off the woman squeezing his ribs while also attempting to calm down the woman inside his head...
But, eventually and (un)fortunately... the 'thing' that caused those screams in the first place... had finally arrived.
RUMBLING...!
"—!"
They all could feel not just the rumbling that was shaking the corridor of the hospital, but also...
Skittering...!
A deafening wave of skittering... as if countless legs were racing across every surface around them...!
And from the void of the darkness... eyes appeared—
Many eyes...!
These eyes glowed faintly—watching, lurking, stalking...!
And then... from the void darkness itself, they finally crawled out—
Spiders. Giant spiders.
An entire swarm of giant spiders...!
Each one the size of a dog, their deep-black bodies covered in a hard, glossy shell...
Their long legs scraped against the floor with every step, skittering and twitching without pause...!
And those mandibles—sharp, jagged—clicked hungrily at their presence...!
More and more emerged, piling out of the shadows...
Until the corridor before them was filled with them!
"Tch, this is it, huh?" Noah muttered, annoyance but also a chill of dread creeping in at the sight. "...The 'Demon Spiders' you've been warning me about...!"
'That's right, mortal,' Evangeline confirmed with a grim tone. 'Those webbings scattered across this facility are their doing... and they are likely the culprits behind the missing mortals as well...'
"Well ain't that just great, huh?"
Noah looked back at the incoming swarm of giant spiders... seeing the hunger burning in their eyes and the clicking mandibles that demanded blood...!
"Heh, never thought I'd come to a haunted hospital and end up getting arachnophobia instead...!"
'Don't joke around, mortal. These demon spiders could tear you apart—limb from limb!'
"You don't have to tell me twice...!"
Noah raised his right hand... gathering spiritual energy into the palm of his hand...!
Upon seeing the spiritual energy gathered in Noah's hand—
Screeech—!!!
Those demon spiders recoiled in unison, letting out a chilling shriek that echoed through the entire hospital!
Then... they advanced—!
Two giant spiders rushed toward him and the woman clinging to him with terrifying speed!
"Bring it on!"
He quickly channeled his energy toward the nearby objects—broken waiting room chairs—lifting them up with telekinetic prowess and then—
He hurled them at the incoming spiders—!
CRASH—!
Scree—?!!
The chairs smashed into them, sending the spiders tumbling across the dusty floor!
But more immediately rushed in—without hesitation nor fear—!
"Oh, come on—!"
Noah flung a toppled IV stand, followed by a metal tray cart—each one crashing into another giant spider—!
Yet even more crawled along the walls and ceiling, trying to flank him—!
"Not today—!"
He spotted them and launched a small medical cabinet their way—crushing them mid-leap—!
But they were relentless.
Even after several fell, the shadows kept spitting out more and more...!
The swarm pushed forward... forcing Noah to back away from them...!
"K-Kyaaah!!! Save me...!! Please don't let me goooo...!!!"
And worse—he still had a terrified woman glued to his torso...!
Each assault from these demon spiders forced them backward... step by step...!
Until—
Screeech—!!!
One managed to slip through—lunging straight at him!
"Darn it—!"
Abandoning telekinesis... Noah swung his fist—!
WHAM—!
The spider was sent flying!
"Ah Fuuuck—! These things are damn sturdy...!" he hissed, wincing as his knuckles throbbed from striking their hard shell-like bodies...!
And yet—
Screeech—!!!
These spiders still didn't stop coming—!
"Hell! It's like they're never gonna end...!" he groaned while knocking another one back!
'Mortal! You need to actually kill them!' Evangeline warned with rising impatience.
"Easier said than done, damnit—!"
He hurled another rusted wheelchair, then kicking one away when it got too close—!
"They're fricking tough!!!"
'...Have you considered using a spiritual attack?'
"Spiritual attack?! Am I not using one already?!" he shot back, using telekinesis to throw another object at another demon spider!
'...Mortal, do you remember the spiritual ability that fanatic priest used yesterday?'
"Huh...?"
It took a moment for him to process, all while still fending off the demon spiders...
Till it finally hit him—!
"...Oh yeah, that's right!"
He finally remembered—!
"He used some kind of energy blast...!"
'That's right—you can do it as well, mortal! Using the power granted by yours truly!'Evangeline declared with smug urgency. 'Now follow my instruction: gather your spiritual energy once more—into the palm of your hand...!'
"Alright...!"
Noah turned to focus... gathering spiritual energy into his palm...
But instead of channeling them into an object, he kept on gathering more energy into the palm of his hand...!
More... and more...
Until it began forming into a bright, swirling orb...!
The air around him trembled in intensity, with dust and small debris lifting off the floor from the sheer pressure that he generated from gathering energy into one focal point...!
Then...
He turned toward the advancing horde—the spiders clicking, screeching, crawling over one another—and aimed his glowing palm at them—!
"Let's see how you like this!"
He thrust his hand forward—!
"—GHOST BLAST!!!"
A massive pillar of spiritual energy erupted from his palm—firing straight down the corridor!