Chereads / Convergence of Realms / Chapter 44 - Release the swarm.

Chapter 44 - Release the swarm.

Moon woke up in her tent feeling a presence standing over her. She summoned Soul-Taker holding out, feeling it get parried to the side. "You should try sleeping with your shirt tucked into your pants. Stops it from coming out. Unless you like showing off your gifts." Zack said smiling down at her. Moon went red covering herself up. "I'm going to report you to Edelgard, for assault and harassment." "Go ahead. I'm sure that's at the top of her list of things to do. Hurry up pink nips. We've got some spiders to kill." 'Iziel, I thought you can see things, when I'm not looking.' 'Yes when I'm awake. I sleep just like you do.' Snarling Moon left the tent, tucking in her shirt and tying her hair into a taut high pony tail. 'Let's get this bread.' 'Huh? What bread? There's no bread here.' 'That's an expression we use on Earth.' 'Does it mean get bread? Because it sounds like you want to get bread.' 'No, it's like getting dough.'

Iziel went silent in her mind. 'Um...we say dough as in money...and we have go out and make the bread...so we uhh...' Moon started to hear snickering in her head. 'You're fucking with me aren't you?' Iziel snickered. 'Sorry, but your friend Han is right. It is fun to mess with people.' 'Ha. Ha. Enjoy this image.' 'ARGH! What was that!?' 'It's called a blue waffle.' 'That was not a waffle nor blue! By the all the creators. Please tell me that is the last of your disgusting imagery.' Moon let out a sinister chuckle. 'Iziel, we haven't even scratched the surface.' Making her to the front of the cave entrance. Zack stood on top of a podium. "Alright, I know everyone is fucking tired of dealing with this spider. We've lost friends and even family. But today we're gonna get inside and kill this fucker!" The Hunters erupted into cheers. "Alright the most important thing to remember for today."

'When he's not being a pervert. He can sure be a leader.' 'I wouldn't want to follow a creep like that.' "When the Tanks block the entrances, every single one of those fucking things, are gonna come pouring out. So Spellcasters, remember you're only job is to deal with the ones above us. Trust that your Warriors are keeping your front safe. Warriors. Trust those behind you, and those to your left and right. And above all else. If at any point any of you feel like running. I would appreciate if you ran face first into my spear, and save me the trouble of finding you later." He scanned the crowd with a scowl. "Any questions!?" Everyone was silent. "Good, then take your positions. We start when the signal is given." 'What's the signal? There's a signal?' Moon asked. 'I have no idea, maybe you can ask him.' 'I don't really feel like talking to them.'

Zack approached Moon raising his spear to her. "Summon your armour." Moon summoned Iziel. He tossed a vial against her chest, with it shattering in an instant, covering her in a viscous clear goo. She looked at him with a seething fury. 'What the fuck did he just throw on me?' "What the fuck did you throw on me? Is this some disgusting innuendo?" "That's the venom from the spiderlings. Good to know whatever you're wearing is immune to it." 'Kill him.' "You couldn't just ask me to test it?" "This is way more fun. Besides, it won't be the last time I cover your chest in something hot and sticky." He said with a smug smile. 'Please kill him. Please. I'll do anything you want.' 'I'll do it after.' Moon scowled at him sauntering away. "Get into position pinky! We're about to start." "What position!?" 'Don't ask him that!' He turned back to her with a sly grin. "I do a great a doggy style. Would you like to see?"

Moon rolled her eyes, walking off shaking her head. 'God I wonder how many assholes, Zeke has had to deal because of me?' 'You can appreciate him later. Let's kill this thing, than him, and finally a plate of fried chicken.' Moon stood shoulder to shoulder with other Warrior class Hunters. They ranged from having armour made of cheap leather to the plate armour. 'I wonder what's the signal though?' Zack stood in front of the entrance holding out a scroll. "I call upon the god of lightning. Accept my offering, accept me as your vessel. Sunder and render the earth apart. Crackle and surge with energy. Come forth, the avatar of Susanoo."

A giant eight headed serpent, made purely of lightning, came forth from the scroll letting out a deafening roar. It flew into the cave filling it with a blinding light for a few seconds before disappearing into the darkness. A sonic boom and rumbling thunder echoed afterwards. 'I hate to admit it. I'm impressed at his ability to have two Omega level smiting spells in his possession.' Zack fell to one knee panting and tucking the scroll under his armour. A white light engulfed him, invigorating him with a new raging source of energy. He sprung to his feet flourishing his spear. "Here they come!" He roared banging his spear against his chest. Moon felt the ground rumble beneath her feet. The mountain trembling and rattling. The dark black entrance became imbued with a orange glow. Moon tensed up taking her fighting stance. Zack looked back at askance, seeing her wield the great sword with an en-garde stance. 'Calm yourself. Trust your weapon, and if any of them get on your side. I'll push those vermin away.' 'You mean the spiders right?' 'Sure, sure. Just focus.'

A ringing screech rung out, before the a raging fire ball of spiderlings poured out. Skittering up the walls, and lunging at the first thing they saw. The air became nearly impossible to breath, and everyone was bombarded by a wave of heat. Lightning bolts crackled and surged through the air frying spiderlings to a crisp. A hail storm of razor sharp icicles whizzed overhead eviscerating them into shreds. Boulders hurled through the air smashing them to bits, and fusing into the side of the mountain. Moon jumped at the raging screams of every Warrior charging in. They swung their weapons wildly; cleaving, hacking, smashing, impaling and severing spiderlings left right and centre. Wet crunches rung out as their exoskeletons were destroyed, with their venom and guts splattering everywhere. Moon was frozen at the sight.

'Child! Girl! MOON!' Iziel called out. Moon shook her head snapping out of the daze. She lunged in impaling the first spiderling. Soul-Taker pierced through its tough carapace with no resistance. Moon felt a small surge of Mana fill her body, as the spiderling became lifeless and dull, with its flames extinguishing. 'Now that's a great a weapon.' Iziel said excitedly. Moon wore an excited smirk blasting the carapace off, and pushing her way through the horde. Each kill invigorating her with a new pulse of Mana filling her body. A black fire began to envelop Soul-Taker with each kill. Moon pushed forward making her way beside Zack, being pushed back, by the endless swarm. Spotting Moon moving past him, he grabbed her shoulder. "GET BACK!" Iziel summoned her wings pushing him away. 'Push forward. Use this momentum to your favour.' Pushing deeper through the entrance like a black fiery blender. The other warriors fell behind dealing with the spiderlings still rushing past her. "HOLD YOUR POSITIONS! I'M GOING AFTER HER!" Zack order sprinting after Moon.

Moon slaughtered her way into the first cavern, with no end of the spiderlings in sight. Sweating profusely through her armour. The air almost thick enough to hold. Moon pushed forward, using the quick spurt of Mana to push forward. 'Don't stop! Keep going!' Iziel cheered. Spiderlings swarmed around her, spraying their venom at her. It sizzled and melted away doing nothing to phase Moon and Iziel. Zack found himself unable to keep up with Moon, being pushed back by endless onslaught of spiderlings pouring out. Finding the tunnel that lead deeper into the cavern. Moon let out a invigorated and powerful visceral roar. Pushing deeper through the tunnel and leaving a trail of shrivelled up corpses. Those that attacked her flank were rebuked by Iziel controlling her wings. She stopped at a large clearing with no spiderlings attacking her. Collapsing to her knees, Moon took banished her helmet taking a deep gasp of air, feeling a cool air brace her face. 'Breathe. They don't seem to be attacking us anymore.'

Moon held her left arm, completely numb and shaking uncontrollably. "Ah fuck...that's gonna be sore a week." She wheezed. Iziel forced the helmet back onto Moon. 'Stay alert. I smell something powerful...yet familiar.' Moon took a deep breath composing herself, and took Soul-Taker in her hand. Zack and the other Hunters found themselves slowly being pushed back and losing their foothold. "THERE'S TOO MANY! FALL BACK!" Zack ordered. "Seal this entrance and open the others!" As Zack ordered the retreat a black Rift manifested at the entrance. "Freeze and shatter." Violetta casted with a deep voice. The entire area was instantly covered in a thick layer of frost. The spiderlings were all frozen and shattered into millions of pieces seconds later. Everyone froze in shock. Selena emerged riding an armoured Unicorn, wielding a long handled obsidian sickle. Sitting behind her facing the opposite direction, Violetta sat with her legs crossed and a disinterested face. "Are you sure you sensed it here?" Selena asked with her deep Death Knight growl. Violetta rolled her eyes, letting out an exasperated sigh. "Yes, I sensed Soul-Taker's Mana, and something much more powerful with it."

"We'll move on foot then." "Eugh...I can't believe, you're making me come along, so that you can have sex again." "I am here for more than that!" Selena snapped. "Sure..." Violetta tapped her staff on the ground banishing all the ice. Everyone watched on completely stunned, still trying to catch their breath. "Hey...Hey!" Zack called out. The two ignored him venturing into the cave. "HEY!" Zack shouted raising his spear to them. "Who the hell are you two!?" "I save their lives, and this is how they greet us. Why do they even ask, why we hate the Nephilim." "They're not all bad." Selena said bashfully. "Just because one is sweet and good at fucking you. Does not change what they are." "Well, unless you want to experience his cooking. You will need to change your attitude. Besides, he did return your Grimoire." "Are they ignoring me?" Zack growled. He sprinted in flourishing his spear. Throwing a powerful thrust attack at Violetta.

His spear was caught by the haft by Selena. He came to a crashing halt, with Selena completely motionless. 'He caught my attack!?' Selena tossed him aside. "Stand aside." She growled. He lunged in for another attack. Selena dodged the attack and drove her sickle through his arm, splitting it in half. Zack froze in shock as blood sprayed out violently. The pain took a few seconds to register at the sight of his exposed bones. "Heal him and leave us." Writhing and twisting on the ground in agony. Violetta bonked him gently on the head with her staff. "Bad boy." She pouted. Moon engulfed herself in fire, navigating the dark tunnel. "What do you think happened to the spiderlings?" 'I'm not sure. The rumbling has stopped.' "Maybe we killed them all?" 'Highly unlikely. What is most likely is that they were-" Moon's sabaton crushed something with a thick crunch that echoed out. A giant wave of tiny screeches rung out. She panned around the cave, seeing millions of tiny red eyes light up. The wall shimmered and squirmed with thousands of smaller non-immolated spiderlings. "Uhhhhhhh...." Moon's jaw dropped at the sight of Zeke's pure nightmare fuel. 'It seems those spiderlings we faced outside were the guards.'

'Okay....if we kill the Broodmother, they'll all just die right?' Moon's eyes darted around as if trying to find Iziel in the back of her head. 'Iziel? Is something wrong?' 'No nothing is wrong. I just didn't want to dignify that stupidity with a response. Of course they won't just all die! Where did you even get that notion from!?' Iziel barked annoyed. "Geez...I'm sorry. It was just a thought." Moon sulked. 'Eugh...move forward. They're clearly newborns, and won't attack unless threatened.' Concerned Moon kept pushing forward. Her skin crawled with each shimmer of the spiderlings. Selena and Violetta entered through the cave following Moon's carnage. Kneeling beside a corpse Selena inspected the cuts. "Something wrong?" Violetta asked. "No. It has to be him. These cuts are so clean and perfect. He's back in Verdancia." Selena said excited.

"I still can't believe you dragged me all the way here, just to have sex with him." "You want the supply of meat to continue?" Violetta pouted and let out a sigh. "Yes..." "Well so do I, and his cooking is amazing." "Sure. That's the only reason you want to see him again." "Well among other things of course." "Tsk, let's just keep moving. I can sense something...strange lingering with Soul-Taker." "Most likely his partner." Moon took a step further into the cavern, feeling her chest tighten and skin bump. The air became frigid and unbearably cold, her fire was sucked away into the cold darkness. Stumbling back from the shock, she felt the air return to its hot state again. "What the fuck was that!?" 'Quickly! Push forward!' Iziel demanded. "I can't see anything!" 'JUST GO! NOW!' She cried out. Moon grit her teeth leaping into the darkness with Iziel forcing the Immolation on. 'Follow the trail!'

Following the dying flame as it was sucked into the darkness. The air started to become warmer and warmer. "What's going on!?" 'Hurry! This Mana. It can't possibly be him....' Moon could feel Iziel's anxiety and stress. Reaching the centre of the cavern, Moon found a horrific sight before her. That Zeke would describe as an orgy of nightmares. The Broodmother was the same size as the Colossal Centipede. It perched atop a crimson Dragon, with its fangs embedded into the Dragon's belly. "FARAZION!" Iziel cried out through Moon. Farazion turned his lifeless gaze towards Moon standing before him. He cracked a weak smile, with a tears welling up in his amber eyes. "Iziel...you're alive...thank the Creator..." 'KILL IT NOW!' The Broodmother ripped a chunk from Farazion out, reeling back to let out a screech, and setting itself ablaze. The entire mountain quaked and the walls shimmered.

Selena and Violetta sprinted towards the centre. "What's happening?" Selena asked watching as the Spiderlings skittered and scurried wildly. "Something has threatened the Broodmother. Go deal with it. I'll deal with them." Violetta came to a stop holding out her staff, and summoning out the Grimoire. It flipped opened by itself to a page with a grey magic circle. "I call upon the god of wind. I call upon the god of wind. Accept my offering, accept me as your vessel. Whip and soar through the air. Envelop and destroy that lay before you. Come forth, the avatar of Garuda." She slammed her staff into the ground, summoning a giant Eagle made from swirling cyclones. "Devour them." She ordered. It let out a cry before flying around the cavern, tearing the spiderlings into a fine mist with razor wind blades. Violetta took a breath to compose herself and sprinted after Selena.

The spiderlings swarmed towards the centre. Selena cleaved her way through the horde that ignored her. "Cut through them! They're going to help the Broodmother." "DO YOU NOT SEE ME TRYING!?" Violetta rolled her eyes. "These Nephilim camp outside for months and let this thing continue to breed, and you wonder why I hate them so much." "Will you just clear a path!?" Selena snapped. "Do you not see the giant bird doing your job?" Selena let out a frustrated growl. Holding her sickle into the air she took a deep breath. The sickle became imbued with a black fire. "SHADOW SLASH!" A black wave cleared a path through the horde. "That wasn't so hard was it?" Violetta asked jogging through first. Selena jogged behind with a haggard breath. "Magic is your strength sister. Not mine." She sulked. "Stop whining. I need to save my Mana for the Broodmother and besides don't you want to be swept off your feet by Zeke?" "Oh shut up!"

Moon was swatted away into the wall. She felt the air fly out of her lungs. Iziel roared in her mind, filling Moon with rage, anguish and sorrow. The Broodmother spat a double stream of red hot venom at Moon. Blasting it away, Moon leapt down at its legs. Driving Soul-Taker into its leg, Moon felt the shockwave rattle her body, as it clashed against the hard carapace. Dodging the Broodmother's wild stampede. Moon attempted to slash at its legs and abdomen, with Soul-Taker sliding off, leaving no marks. 'Iziel! I need you to focus! I can't cut through this thing!' 'THEN HIT IT HARDER!' She roared. Moon blasted the Broodmother, lifting a few centimetres off the ground. It let out a screech trying to claw Moon from underneath it. Violetta and Selena entered into the cave freezing at the sight of Moon. "A Dragon Knight!?" Selena asked shocked. "That's not any Dragon. That's Iziel!!" Violetta said completely startled. "Distract it! I will weaken its carapace." Violetta pointed her staff as Selena jumped down to Moon. "Dragon Knight! I am here to help!" "I don't know what a Death Knight is doing here, but I can't cut through this thing!"

Selena's mind raced with thoughts of why this Dragon Knight had such a familiar voice. Of how she came to wield Soul-Taker. What had happened to Zeke and Moon? The biggest question on her mind was how they bonded to Iziel. "Violetta will weaken its carapace for us. We need to distract it." She said evading with Moon under the monster. "Wait Violetta? Is your name Selena!?" "You know my name!?" Selena squealed with delight. Moon pulled her helmet away. "It's me Moon!" She said with a big smile. Selena's excitement and joy turned to complete and utter confusion. "SELENA! DISTRACT IT!" Violetta screamed leaping out of the way, from a violent stream of venom. Selena shook her head, focusing her thoughts on the task at hand. "Follow my lead!" She drove her sickle into a leg and planted her boot through its spine, cracking the carapace. Moon swung Soul-Taker like a baseball bat into a leg and gave it the strongest blast she could muster. Soul-Taker cleaved through releasing a geyser of malachite colour fluids.

The Broodmother reeled back in agony, scuttling up the wall. Violetta tore out a page from her Grimoire sticking it to the end of her staff. "Rot and Decay. Weaken and Crumble. Wither and turn to dust. Perish." She chanted. The crystal at the end of staff lit up, and the page turned to dust. A black magic circle branded the Broodmother. Its obsidian carapace started to crack, before countless fissures stretched across its body. Falling from the wall, it landed with a dust cloud and a hail of its carapace flying off. Violetta fell to her knees, drenched in sweat and resting on her staff. Selena did a wide arching slash, releasing a horizontal Shadow Slash, severing all of its legs. She collapsed onto her hand and knees, ripping off her helmet to take a deep gasp of air. Moon flew a top its abdomen, plunging Soul-Taker down with her all might. 'DIE! DIE!' Iziel bawled. Moon blasted Soul-Taker through to the other side. She could hear it cut through all the flesh and ping off the ground beneath it. Exhausted and drenched in sweat, Moon pushed herself to fly beside Farazion's face.

"Iziel...you're still alive..." "Go ahead Iziel. I'll....speak for you." Moon said catching her breath. He weakly placed the tip of his large claw onto Moon's forehead. 'Brother, what happened to you? I refuse to believe you were defeated by this Broodmother.' Iziel sobbed. 'I was defeated and left here to rot. By the time I woke up, it had already eaten enough of me.' Moon stumbled back hearing both their voices in her head. 'Who defeated you!? I will kill them for leaving you like this! No don't tell me now! Girl, we need to get him a Healer. Fly out now.' 'It is too late for me sister...Without its venom clotting my blood, I will finally bleed out.' 'NO! I won't let you die! Moon please save him! Please!' Iziel begged thrashing in her mind. 'She and the others are in no condition to save me. Nor can I be saved.' 'But!! You can't die! YOU CAN'T!' 'I am, but I will always be your side.'

'Tell me who defeated you. I will avenge you!' 'The same three that cheated in defeating you.' 'Three?' Moon asked. 'Yes...Alistair and two others...they were smaller, but they were stronger than him.' 'There's no one stronger than Alistair. He's the number one...Wait. Was the other one you would describe as psychotic and the other a green coloured hooker?' 'Yes.' 'Who are they Moon!?' Iziel demanded. 'Kenji Serizawa and Ivy Mandrake. The Berserker and Pestilence Queen, but that doesn't make any sense. They would never work together. They have no reason to.'

'Iziel...find the others. They were hunting us.' 'I will...' She whimpered. 'Nephilim...please take care of my sister.' Moon nodded. 'Farazion...there has to be something that I can do...' 'Find the others and avenge us.' 'I will. I will make them suffer.' Farazion did a weak gasp. 'What is your name Nephilim?' 'Moon Kim.' 'Moon Kim, thank you for bringing my sister to me. May my soul help keep you two safe.' Farazion erupted into a fireball blinding the three of them. Moon opened her eyes to find a glossy spear in her hand. With a crimson tassel at the haft of the spear, the tip was made from the same material as his fang. 'Farazion...' Iziel said solemenly. 'Is this him?' 'Yes...' 'I can't hear him.' 'He has passed and what remained of his soul has become a weapon for us.' 'Iziel...we'll kill them.' 'Yes, we will, and we will make them suffer.' Moon stood up banishing her spear and armour. "Selena, what are you two-" Moon's eyes glazed over and she fell unconscious. Selena looked up to Violetta surrounded by Hunters, her body too exhausted to move. A magic circle appeared before them. "Shit..." She groaned before fainting as well.