Henry kicked off the ground and leapt over the shield wall, leaving deep footprints in the snow as he sprinted towards one of the trees, its gray color evidencing the harsh and cold environment.
The Fire Sword was the perfect tool of destruction, slicing through the silver webs with ease and spreading a raging inferno through the chain of webs that caged them. It was even sufficient to melt the layer of frost on the trees, seemingly resurrecting them and giving them their color back.
Although Henry was still recovering from his battle with the barbarian, using the Imperial Sun God Technique for a short time would not set him back to his bedridden state. Nevertheless, he could feel his muscles strain and tear slightly, a painful reminder that he was not yet fully healed.
Thankfully, a soothing sensation spread throughout his head, easing the pain, and allowing him to remain focused on his objective, unstoppable by any mental obstacles. This cool feeling was the perfect complement to the Imperial Sun God Technique, which consumed the user's mental and physical well-being, using pain as fuel.
This sort of calm state was a perfect match to the Imperial Sun God Technique, leading Henry to name it Moon State. The moon was the opposite of the sun, but at the same time, it was the inseparable half that made it complete.
"I don't need much time. I will end this quickly."- Henry calmly thought, aware that, even though he wasn't feeling pain, his body was deteriorating at a faster and faster pace, his old injuries opening slightly.
Henry's feet touched the trunk of the tree and he propelled himself upwards, as if his shoes were magnetically attracted to its surface. This was a feat only possible for someone at the Fourth Warrior Stage, where an individual has experience and a somewhat deeper mastery over their speed, strength, and mana.
It was the stage where an individual sheds their previous limitations and shape itself into another organism, a more perfect one. In fact, the difference between the Third Stage and the Fourth Stage Warrior was significant, not only in terms of body control and capacity of Mana, but also in its usage.
Those in the Fourth Realm were beginning to tread the path of externalizing their Mana and using it to accomplish extraordinary and inhuman feats. It was when Body and Mana began to interconnect and blend. It was the stage that permitted Henry to activate the Fire Sword, turning the Mana into Fire and coating his sword on it.
Henry moved with the speed and precision of a bullet as he ran up the tree, leaving a trail of fire and melted snow in his wake. The young king could see the fear and desperation in the monsters' eyes as they frantically launched their venom at him.
Seeing the attacks, instead of dodging and losing his momentum, Henry quickly turned his sword to block the venoms with his Fire Sword, displaying remarkable and inhuman reaction speed.
The venom's attacks instantly vaporized as they touched the burning sword, turning into green steam that vanished in the air.
*Slice*
Henry torn down web after web as he advanced, causing the flames to spread from tree to tree and engulf the connected cobweb, while also blocking the constant wave of venom's attack coming at him.
Soon, the whole forest seemingly turned into an inferno, a furnace that was threatening to cook the Death Spiders.
The spreading fire allowed the soldiers and barbarians to see the intricate maze of cobwebs created to ensnare them. They finally realized the perilous situation they had been as the flames covered the skies and all sides. Henry's fiery figure made them feel awe and relief.
The king was already within the range of his first prey, noticing the desperation and terror into those human-like. The Death Spider, driven by its primal instincts and limited intelligence, lunged forward and aimed its sharp and deadly legs at the flame-bearer, its nemesis.
Henry's eyes showed no fear or intimidation in response to the attack. As a Fourth Stage Warrior, he knew the enemy before him could only display the strength of someone in the Second Stage. To him, the spider's legs seemed to move in slow motion.
Henry quickly reacted, relaying in his ingrained memories and the strength as a Fourth Stage Warrior, he easily dodged the spider's attack. He swung his sword with precision, cutting off one of the spider's legs. The Death Spider let out a deafening screech as it stumbled backwards, almost falling off the tree, its leg twitching in pain.
Henry didn't hesitate, he pressed the advantage and charged towards the spider, his sword glowing fiercely and heating up. The spider, sensing danger, tried to defend itself with its remaining legs, but Henry was too quick. He sliced through its exoskeleton with ease, plunging his sword into its body.
An inhumane sound escaped from those dying lips, betraying the image of its upper body. The scream resembled a train scraping the tracks, representing the pain coming from its body being consumed by the sword's flames. Henry just looked at it with disgust and quickly checked his clothes for any stains from the creature's fetid and repugnant purple blood.
Confirming that he was clean, Henry quickly scanned through the trees for his next opponent. He didn't have to wait long as two more Death Spiders appeared, both larger and more ferocious than the one he had just defeated. They let out a deafening screech, signaling their intention to attack and get revenge for their dead sibling.
They feared the spreading flames, yet they were unable to suppress their strong and bubbling desire for revenge. This was due to the fact that when Death Spiders are killed, they release a special hormone that alerts their nest for danger and instills a sense of retaliation. It was a natural mechanism developed to eliminate threats and ensure the survival of the colony.
Henry knew he was in for a tough fight. Although these spiders were in the Third Stage, they were stronger and faster than the one he had just defeated. Henry looked at them, analyzing every single one of their movements as he prepared for their attack, his sword already in front of him.
Without warning, the first spider lunged forward, its sharp legs glinting in the fire's light. Henry dodged to the side and swung his sword in a wide arc, cutting through its neck in a swift and precise motion. The Death Spider had no time to scream as its head dropped towards the ground, becoming a puddle of purple blood.
"It appears that my body is quickly adapting to the Imperial Sun God Technique."- Henry thought, as he noticed that using the technique didn't seem to be causing as much damage to his body as before. Though they were still deteriorating, the pace had slowed significantly, much slower than during his previous fight against the barbarian leader. – "Anyway, there is one left. Luther should have already finished. He is a Sixth Stage Warrior after all."
Henry turned his cold grey eyes towards the last Death Spider. It was cautiously watching him, keeping its distance and waiting for an opportunity. However, a few seconds later, due to the raising levels of hormone in the air, the Spider finally acted on its instinct.
It propelled itself upwards and skillfully jumped from tree to tree, while weaving cobwebs where it passed, creating a cage to confine Henry's movement. It was an intelligent and cautious creature, a faster learner that assimilated its siblings mistakes and wouldn't commit them. It would keep a safe distance and bombard the tiny human with venom.
In a few seconds, all the trees around Henry were covered by dangerous cobwebs. The Death Spider used a long web to hang in the middle of the cage, away from Henry's attacks. It was like an untouchable boss of a game. It's human-like eyes were watching Henry with a certain malice.
"It's a smart one"- Henry commented on the spider's behavior. – "But that's not sufficient to stop me."
Suddenly, the creature opened its human-like mouth and unleashed a barrage of venom at Henry. It was like a green rain threatening to flood a house. That attacked finally raised Henry's warning signs, he couldn't let it fall, or else him and his soldiers would suffer greatly.
Henry looked below and confirmed that his soldiers were in the range of the attack, and he couldn't dodge it. He had to act. Henry quickly flooded his Mana Circuits and rapidly channeled it into his sword, causing it to shine even brighter in an almost orange hue.
It was a way to manipulate Mana that he learned in the last fight against the Barbarian, when he forcefully activated the Second Form – Fire Guardian. Henry wasn't that much proficient in using it, but it was enough in this case. It was a new way to use the First Form.
As the venom rain was about to hit him, Henry swung his sword and unleashed a powerful blast of flame. It didn't stretch further from his body, but it was enough to create a protection umbrella for him and his soldiers. The flame emitted from the sword vaporized every drop of venom that touched it.
"It hurts!" – Henry groaned in pain. The Moon State not able to fend off all the pain.
This attack required Henry to release a large amount of mana from his circuits, creating a powerful force that expelled the mana from his body or the weapons directly connected to it. It was similar to his Second Form, but unlike that technique, it did not require him to compress and explode the mana, reducing the risk of serious injury to his body. Still, Henry's body was still affected.
Henry was holding his own, but a few moments later he realized he could no longer hear the hissing sounds of the Death Spider as it spit venom.
"My liege! I've returned!" - Henry heard Luther's old and caring voice coming from above.
When he looked up, he saw the old man holding the head of the Death Spider, with his hands smeared with the creature's purple blood. He held a happy smile on his lips.
"He killed them barehanded, without even taking his sword out" The king commented, noticing that Luther still had his sword sheathed. "Maybe he could have killed all of them by himself in a single second. But then, why would he let me fight?"
Henry pondered as he saw Luther's feet touching the tree's trunk and throwing the head away with an unperturbed face.
"He is training this king?" – Henry thought, coming to the only logical conclusion. – "It seems like this old man is still not over his previous position."
Henry couldn't explain why, but a sudden desire to beat the man in front of him came over him, only to fade away just as quickly. It was as if some form of royal arrogance had been ingrained in him as he recovered the memories of the old Henry, as if he were not in control of his own emotions.
"He is in the Sixth Stage, a step into the Transcendence Realm, even if I wanted to punch him, I wouldn't be able to do that" – Henry reasoned with himself, using the Moon State to suppress this desire.
Luther continued to smile happily towards Henry, not knowing that he had been beaten countless times in his king's head.
"We should keep going!" – Henry turned his head in frustration and jumped down from the tree. He really wanted to beat this preposterous old man.