When spiders came from all directions like a tide, blocking all escape routes, Germain, Bisky, and Shizuku remained calm. They quickly formed a triangle formation.
"You all react quickly," Bisky said, clenching her fists in a tense fighting stance, her mind focused.
"It's good for our team to skip the steps of panicking, asking for explanations, falling into despair, and rekindling faith."
Bisky had always worked alone and rarely teamed up with others. She had suffered losses in the past due to unreliable teammates, so she preferred to fight like a lone wolf.
Germain and Shizuku shared the same mindset as Bisky. Surprisingly, this temporary team of three lone wolves showed a special understanding in the face of the current siege.
Germain initially wanted to find a safe place and let Bisky's "Magical Beautician Miss Cookie" relieve his stress, but now that was impossible.
"Let's make a quick decision," he said to the two behind him. "Bisky, you just defeated a spider. Do you have any key information for us?"
"Yes," Bisky replied immediately. "They float for a short time. When the spider's abdomen swells, it fills with helium, making them float for a few seconds before falling to the ground.
"Also, there's their silk and fangs. I haven't seen them use these weapons yet, but as spiders, they'll likely use them in the next battle."
"That's all I know."
"That's enough," Germain said. "We can explore the rest of their abilities as we go. Remember to share information with each other."
Bisky and Shizuku both nodded.
"But the key is still the spider at the top, right?" Shizuku was already holding the metal rod of the "Blinky," ready to act. "It should be the leader of this group of spiders."
At this moment, the group of spiders had reached the bottom of the valley, resembling more than twenty off-road vehicles driving in simultaneously.
Their legs moved quickly, creating a creepy sound like the rapid drumbeats of war, urging their prey to fall into their rhythm.
One of the spiders opened its mouth wide, revealing its fangs, screamed at the three, and pounced on them.
Bisky swiftly darted forward, reappearing beside the spider's head. With a powerful kick from her strong legs, she sent the sturdy spider flying into the air like a catapult-launched stone.
The spider soared through the sky before crashing back to the ground with a rumble. "Did you see that?" Bisky landed gracefully, watching the spiders fall around them. "Move quickly, strike accurately, and don't let them regroup."
"We don't need to engage them all; focus on eliminating them swiftly. Their strength lies in numbers, but once we thin their ranks, they won't stand a chance against us."
Pointing towards the spider leader atop the tree, she added, "As for that one, if it stays up there, we can't do much. Climbing up now would play into its hands."
"Leave it alone for now."
Bisky being more seasoned, Germain and Shizuku nodded in agreement.
The swarm of spiders surged forward, nearly overwhelming the trio.
Shizuku dodged a spider's sharp legs, which resembled scimitars that pierced deep into the ground. She took cover under another spider's abdomen. Opening its mouth, she jabbed into its soft abdomen, causing black pus to spill out onto the ground.
The spider screeched, its legs thrashing wildly. Shizuku deftly avoided them, causing two spiders to topple over.
"Their legs are dangerous!" Shizuku shouted to the others. "But their abdomens are vulnerable blind spots."
"Got it!" Bisky responded, slicing off a spider's legs with his palm. "Their joints are weak too."
Germain, with precision, sawed off a nearby spider's chelicerae. Despite the danger, he calculated the distance accurately, avoiding its bite.
Another spider turned, spraying sticky silk towards Germain with a whooshing sound. Reacting swiftly, Germain sidestepped, causing the silk to entangle another spider's eyes.
Blinded, the spider panicked, its movements unpredictable. Meanwhile, the silk-spewing spider continued its assault, forcing Germain to evade each strand until he opted for a flamethrower. A jet of flame ignited the silk, driving the spiders back in fear.
"Their venom is injected through fangs," Germain said, gripping the flamethrower tightly as he scanned the surroundings, not letting his guard down. "They fear fire, and spider silk can catch fire."
"Simple incendiary bombs," Bisky exclaimed, snapping awake and retrieving three metal balls from her backpack.
Shizuku, prompted by Bisky, also retrieved incendiary bombs from her backpack.
They pressed the button on the bombs and hurled them at the spiders. The metal balls burst into flames, setting ablaze the spiders' hair and the fallen leaves on the ground.
The fire grew stronger, halting the spiders from advancing further into the valley.
Except for those trapped and consumed by the flames, the remaining spiders retreated from the circle of fire to observe from a distance.
Germain, Bisky, and Shizuku withdrew from the fiery ring and leaned against a stone wall.
"Can we press on?" Germain asked. "If not, I'll use the teleportation lantern to send us back to the human world."
"I can go on," Bisky declared bravely, arms folded. "This bunch of spiders won't push me to my limit. What about you, Shizuku?"
Shizuku raised one hand calmly, though both knew she wasn't as serene as she appeared.
"I can continue... Also, the spider leader seems to be moving differently now."
At Shizuku's remark, Germain and Bisky looked up to see the giant spider no longer at the center of the web but creeping towards its edge.
Its chelicerae twitched, emitting an unsettling hiss, as if commanding its spider kin.
Some spiders skirted the firewall, while others attacked from the sides or crawled up with inflated abdomens, leaping down from the stone wall where the trio stood.
"There are still seventeen," Germain stated boldly, undaunted. He stood, leaping forward. His Cleaver slashed through a spider's eye, tearing into its flesh.
"Sixteen."
Bisky unleashed a powerful punch with both fists, causing the spider's mind to explode. The spider's abdomen, like a balloon pricked by a needle, burst with a loud bang.
"Fifteen," she continued Germain's count.
Shizuku used "Blinky" to absorb all the spider silk from the spider's abdomen, leaving nothing behind.
The spider's abdomen shrank, and Shizuku's "Blinky" smashed its head into pieces.
"Fourteen."
"Thirteen, twelve."
"Eleven, ten."
Gradually, Germain, Bisky, and Shizuku shifted from defense to offense. They took control of the entire situation in the valley bottom, turning it into their hunting ground.
Finally, with only seven spiders remaining in the spider family, the giant spider sitting on the web could no longer endure it.
It leaped off the web and landed heavily at the bottom of the valley.
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