And just as expected—
a Black Agate Spider.
Yet it had clearly been fused with a Calami,
making it something far more monstrous than its original form.
The proof was unmistakable.
Its once-black eyes now burned crimson like fresh blood,
and its formerly sleek, polished shell was covered in dense, pitch-black fur.
Before Richard could even steady himself,
one of its legs slashed through the air at terrifying speed.
He leapt backward just in time—
And the battle with the eight-legged beast began.
It lunged at him relentlessly, leaving him barely any room to breathe.
Sticky webs were fired in rapid succession,
its eight razor-like legs moving in perfect, horrifying coordination.
Richard couldn't get close—
not even for a single clean strike.
Ryn saw his master struggling and wanted to rush in to help,
but his own situation was no better.
Two Maulers were still pressing him hard,
and the battlefield around him was a chaotic clash between humans and Calami.
The clang of steel, the roars of monsters,
and the thunder of magic echoed across the fields.
No one could spare a hand for anyone else.
Survival came first.
Spells continued to rain down from mages and Archs alike,
while the deafening noise of war swallowed the land whole.
Then—
what they feared most happened.
Two more Black Agate Spiders came crawling in at terrifying speed.
Several Archs rushed to intercept them,
desperate to keep the beasts away from the less experienced soldiers.
But the spiders' legs lashed out violently,
forcing the Archs to retreat, unable to close the distance.
Mages responded by unleashing volleys of fire.
Flames crashed into the creatures' bodies—
only to scatter into harmless sparks,
leaving not even the faintest scorch on their flesh.
Not a scratch.
Not a flinch.
Meanwhile, Ryn continued battling the Maulers,
searching desperately for an opening.
At last, a soldier drove his spear straight into one Mauler's throat.
The beast froze for a split second—
That was all Ryn needed.
His blade flashed.
The Mauler's head was severed cleanly,
its body collapsing lifelessly to the ground.
Ryn scanned the battlefield,
snatched up a fallen torch nearby,
and hurled it toward a spider locked in brutal combat with the Archs.
The torch struck its back.
It worked.
No matter how monstrous the creature was,
it could not withstand the overwhelming force of nature itself.
Flames roared across its pitch-black fur.
The spider writhed in agony, staggering wildly
before crashing into another of its kind that was locked in battle with a group of soldiers.
Even so, it did not die so easily.
The fire burned its flesh,
but only the outer layers.
Yet… that was enough.
Ryn charged forward and brought his blade down with brutal force,
severing the head of one spider clean from its body.
As for the other, the soldiers seized the moment of hesitation,
driving their spears into it again and again
until it finally collapsed.
Ryn immediately searched for Richard.
He spotted his master still fighting the eight-legged, fur-covered monstrosity alone—
and the situation was far from favorable.
The webs were too many.
Richard had stepped into one,
his movement completely restricted.
Another strand shot forward.
He raised his left arm to block it—
only for the web to coil tightly around his limb,
binding it in place.
The spider leapt toward him,
intent on ending his life in a single strike.
But it halted—
just inches from Richard—
As the torch Ryn had thrown ignited its body.
Richard did not waste the chance.
With all the strength he had left,
he drove his sword straight into the creature's mouth.
The blade burst out through the back of its head.
The massive body collapsed,
motionless.
Ryn rushed to his side, slashing through the webs just as Richard had instructed,
and pulled him free from the sticky strands anchoring him to the ground.
The two stood there, gasping for breath,
while the sounds of battle still echoed around them.
But the greatest threat had fallen.
They split up, moving to aid the soldiers and Archs
who were still fighting Titans and Maulers scattered across the battlefield.
Steel clashed.
Roars thundered.
Yet the darkness slowly gave way
to the first light of dawn.
One by one, the Calami fell.
And when the morning sun finally shone over the wide fields,
the long, brutal battle came to an end.
Nothing remained
but the stench of smoke,
mangled corpses,
and a suffocating silence
that smothered the land…