Silas's eyes remained fixated on the Lightservants as they strode into the grassy field. The wind blew their robes, making them flap and giving the illusion that they were floating. Silas stayed silent, watching closely as they approached.
"It seems we've arrived at the right time," Bartholomew said, his black eyes shifting from Arachne to the wizard.
Rivas nodded in agreement, smiling in a way that made Silas shiver.
"I have the pleasure of meeting you, my Lightlords," Danavar spoke, stepping forward. "Did one of my guards inform you of our situation?" Lightservants, regardless of rank, were addressed as Lightlords unless they were a Lightbishop, Lightcardinal, or the Anointed Light Minister.
Bartholomew nodded to Danavar. "He gave me a brief overview and mentioned a somewhat...big monster, a spider." He glanced at Arachne, who stood with her claws raised. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead, and her small frame trembled—Silas recognized it as fear.
She took a step backward.
Bartholomew's gaze shifted to her. "Not so fast, we haven't even started." He raised his hand, and bright tentacles burst from the ground, binding Arachne's legs and arms. She screamed as the Holy Attack burned her skin. Bartholomew then stared at Silas, causing him to step back unconsciously.
"Yes, he told me about your situation, but I don't understand, Captain. It seems you're with a Heretic, fighting alongside him. Yes?"
Danavar met the man's gaze. "Yes, let me explain to avoid any misunderstanding, Lightlord. Silas came to us willingly and offered to help."
"Captain, you don't need to explain. I'm sure I'm not misunderstanding anything...you allied yourself with a Lightservant. Such actions are punishable by law...you're hereby stripped of your position indefinitely until the Arbitrator decides otherwise. I am assuming authority from here."
Bartholomew walked past the dumbfounded captain. Silas jumped away from the Lightservants, but the man's focus remained on Arachne.
"I'll finish this in one go; I'll handle you after."
He dashed forward, leaving a trail of golden light. Arachne's arm transformed into a glistening-black carapace. She blocked the [Angel Blade] with her left arm and tried to stab Bartholomew with her right hand. Her claw was met with a vibrating yellow shield. She gritted her teeth, her hand turning into a sharp-black stave. She slashed at the Lightservant's shield until she cracked it.
Bartholomew stood calmly, hands behind his back, watching the [Final Boss] attack. When he saw the crack appear on his shield, a maniacal smile crept onto his face. He waved his hand, and the shield vanished into golden dust.
Arachne landed on her feet. "Are you taking me for a fool?" she said through gritted teeth.
"It seems I've been holed in that damn [Dungeon] for so long that you humans forgot what it is to fear," she said. Her body started twitching, violet lightning spewing from her skin. Silas saw something pulsating beneath her pale skin, as if another monster was trying to claw its way out of his skin.
Arachne fell to the ground, screaming, her breath heaving. She tried to vomit but only managed dry heaves. After several attempts, she finally expelled a pulsating violet organ with dark green veins, resembling a heart.
The guards, watching in fear, slowly retreated, their shoulders shaking. Silas heard the growing sound of a beating heart. The organ in front of Arachne was beating wildly as if it were about to explode.
It exploded, sending bright light in every direction. Silas shielded his eyes as dust, grass, and dirt were sucked toward the beating heart.
"No," he muttered, watching as Arachne pulled out two more hearts from her mouth. He had a bad feeling about what was happening. Arachne was supposed to be a humanoid boss meant to elicit sympathy from players, but this scene suggested otherwise.
The remains of the [Spider King] moved toward the beating organs. Dust, ashes, and debris swirled around them. The sound of the beating grew louder until it erupted in blinding light, spewing smoke, fire, and lightning of varying colors. Silas covered his face, coughing as particles of dust entered his lungs, his cloak flapping behind him.
The wind stilled. When he opened his eyes, he saw a shadow cloaked in smoke. It was the largest creature he had ever seen since coming to this world. Just looking at its silhouette was enough to trigger mankind's oldest fear—the fear of the unknown.
He stepped back, his eyes tracing the height of the monster before him.
A deafening growl erupted from the creature. Silas shielded his ears with his hands. Dust flew towards them, and it took almost thirty seconds before he could uncover his ears. The smoke and dust cleared, revealing a grotesque creature.
It had the same shape as the [Spider King], with a human torso and a spider's lower body. But this one was missing its head. Its eyes were embedded in its chest—eight glowing orbs shifting uncomfortably as they looked down. Another head was at the junction where the two bodies met, able to rotate 360 degrees without pain. The last head was on the spider's bulbous back.
"What in the world is that?" a guard exclaimed in disbelief.
"This game is insane," Silas muttered, staring at the monster. Doubt crept in as he realized the scene before him was something he hadn't encountered before. Arachne wasn't supposed to have the ability to create [Chimaeras]. It felt like he was fighting the game on the hardest difficulty. Fate must be toying with him.
A figure of a young woman in white clothes appeared at the stump where the head should be. Arachne's clothes billowed in the wind.
"Behold, human, my creation—the [End Spider]," she said. "Now, my son, as the [End Spider], Ravager of the Land, I command you to vanish this poor soul back to the Endless Sea."
Arachne flashed a smile that reached her ears, sharp teeth glinting in the moonlight. "I'll help you reach Origin Place. But your stay there is limited. Once I finish all the lands, I'll ascend to the skies and destroy the dwellings of the Primordials."
Arachne laughed abruptly and raised her hand. The [End Spider] growled and slashed in their direction. Its sharp claws tore through the ground, uprooting dirt and grass. The guards narrowly avoided the attack. The two Lightservants jumped onto the spider's thick arms, raising their hands to strike a beam of light toward the head in its chest. The [End Spider] shut its eyes against the attack.
With one of its four hands, it tried to catch Bartholomew. When it failed, it slapped at him, as if swatting an annoying mosquito.
The Lightservants landed back on the ground. The monster extended all its arms. Danavar, Silas, and the guards watched in horror as gigantic staves appeared before each hand. As soon as the staves were complete, the [End Spider] let out a piercing growl, throwing everyone backward.
The [End Spider] released the first stave, which pierced the air toward Silas. He rolled just in time, avoiding the impact. Dirt and grass flew from where the stave hit. The monster quickly prepared its next attack, aiming the second stave at the Lightservants. Bartholomew cast layers of shields in its path. The stave easily pierced the first shield and broke through the second. The third shield cracked, and the fourth followed. But Silas saw the stave significantly lose speed. The sixth shield stopped it completely.
Using the broken shields and the remaining two undamaged ones, Bartholomew created a hundred pieces of yellow light that shot at the monster. The beams of light targeted the three heads. Each hit resulted in an explosion similar to [Magic Pierce].
But the skin of the monster was rather too thick to receive any damage. Silas casted [Air Burst], But the monster's skin was too thick to be damaged. Silas cast [Air Burst], but the attack seemed ineffective.
'We are missing something,' he thought. Every monster had a weakness—that was a basic rule of the game. But finding that weakness was up to the players.
'A summoning magic,' he thought, glancing at the guards. Danavar was trying to revive everyone's morale. 'No, it's more like reanimation magic, similar to what Bron did to the leafman.'
"The weakness is the caster," he mumbled, stopping mid-cast of [Flickering Fire]. Arachne was still sitting on its missing head, enjoying the havoc she had caused. Silas squinted and cast [Flickering Fire], aiming near her. The skill hit, creating a cloud of smoke.
He cast [Air Burst]. The first skill was a diversion for a successful hit. The air around Arachne collapsed inwardly before exploding, creating a loud boom that pushed her outward. At the same moment, the monster thrashed wildly, its eight legs stomping as if losing control.
Silas smiled. "Captain! Don't aim for the monster; that giant thing isn't important. We need to hit its master. Pour all your skills on Arachne!"