The Spider Queen unleashed another devastating roar that pushed us all backward. The cave was enveloped in a choking darkness that seemed to swallow us whole. Reyna activated a skill, and hundreds of fireballs appeared around the cave, illuminating it completely and cutting through the suffocating dark.
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Spider Queen Summoning
Summons spider minions, level 1-10
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Once the Spider Queen's roar subsided, a heavy silence fell over the cavern. Nothing moved; none of us dared to make a sound, anxiously waiting to see what would happen next. After a few seconds, the sound of countless tiny feet scampering echoed throughout the cave.
From the crevices in the ceiling and walls, hundreds of thousands of spiders emerged, their red eyes piercing through us. Unlike before, when the spiders had seemed almost passive, these creatures now appeared ravenous, as if we were their next meal.
"Arise, little ones," the Spider Queen's voice echoed through the cave.
At her command, the spiders surged toward us—thousands of them, each one determined and relentless. As the swarm descended, I fell to the ground, accepting our grim fate. Eli had an excited smile on her face, and I wondered why she was so eager despite the dire situation.
Darius frantically tried to clear the rubble with his bare hands, but it was futile. As the spiders closed in on him, all that remained was a tombstone bearing his name. The sight made me sick, and I covered my mouth. Viri looked around in terror as the spiders drew nearer.
"Tenshi!" Reyna commanded.
Almost instinctively, a shield of pure mana enveloped us. The barrier was white and solid, with a warm sensation surrounding it. I pushed myself off the ground, and saw that spiders were swarming and attacking the barrier, their relentless assault visible.
I reached out and touched the barrier, feeling a sharp jolt. The spiders covered every inch of the shield, biting, chewing, and killing each other in a frenzied attempt to get to us. I glanced over at G2, who were formulating a plan.
"What's the plan, Rei?" Viri asked, looking at Reyna.
"We should be able to kill the spiders," Reyna replied.
"That's true, but we can't stay here forever," Viri pointed out, glancing at Tenshi.
"Tenshi, can you keep the barrier active and heal us simultaneously?" Reyna asked, concern evident in her voice.
Tenshi had her hands clasped together, focused on maintaining the barrier. Her eyes were strained, and she seemed to be struggling. Tenshi didn't reply; her concentration was solely on the shield.
Viri patted her on the back and handed a bag of potions to Eli. "Don't screw it up," she said harshly.
Reyna and Viri approached the barrier and placed their hands on it. After a few seconds, Tenshi managed to create an opening, allowing them to pass through without letting spiders inside.
The spiders obscured the view of Reyna and Viri, so I couldn't see what was happening on the other side.
BOOM
A series of explosions echoed, reminiscent of the water spider fight Reyna and I had faced. Moments later, spiders were flung off the barrier, revealing the outside. Hundreds of feathers exploded in rapid succession. Viri was attacking the spiders with brute force, which made me wonder why she wasn't using the shotgun strapped to her back. She was eliminating most low-level spiders with a single punch and the higher-level ones with three to five.
Exhausted, Tenshi lowered her barrier. With no spiders in immediate vicinity, any that got close would be shot by Reyna.
Barriers are a type of magic that anyone can use, as they only require mana. You can transform a barrier into an ice or water barrier, but that increases the mana cost. While barriers themselves don't consume much mana, the longer they're active, the more mana they use. The stronger the barrier, the more mana it requires, and allowing people to enter and exit the barrier demands extreme precision and substantial mana. Though the spiders are low-level, having hundreds attacking simultaneously uses just as much mana, as the barrier needs to be charged to prevent it from breaking.
To pull this off, Tenshi would need mana in the millions, which made me a little jealous. I had never tried creating a barrier myself since it requires extreme amounts of mana. I probably didn't have enough mana to even form a small shield.
Eli was feeding potions to Tenshi, who seemed reinvigorated, actively healing Reyna and Viri whenever their health dipped. Instead of doing nothing, I kept watch, ensuring no spiders approached us. Using my mana bombs, I tried to manage the seemingly endless swarm, though my supply was limited. I threw all the bombs I had, leaving puddles of water and burn marks on the ground.
When I ran out of bombs, I quickly glanced at Viri, who was nearing a critical state. Fortunately, Tenshi had been creating small barriers around her, buying time for healing and protection. Meanwhile, Reyna continued to launch Phoenix Feather attacks with unrelenting energy.
The Spider Queen, nestled in a crevice in the wall, observed with a growing smile as her minions fell one by one. Her expression seemed to darken with anticipation, as if we were walking into a trap.
Viri shouted at Eli, "We could really use your help!"
Eli glanced at me, then looked down, muttering, "She's just mocking me. All I can do is basic paralysis."
A small smile crept onto my face. I thought that if G2 wanted to continue, they would need different elements like water and air. Currently, they have fire, light, and earth. But there was one more member missing—where was she, what element did she have? I glanced around the cavern, realizing she was likely trapped outside with the Order members who had escaped. She had a sniper and a mask.
Viri charged at the boss,making me momentarily lose focus. As she jumped, a wave of earth was sent out, launching all the spiders into the air. The spiders seemed to levitate momentarily.
"Phoenix Rain!" Reyna shouted.
Reyna pointed her hand skyward, and above the levitating spiders, thousands of small fireballs began to rain down, attacking them with extreme precision. The spiders disintegrated into pixels, a resonating thud could be heard.
Seizing the opportunity, I refocused on Viri, who was now attacking the boss, driving it into the cavern walls. The Spider Queen let out a chilling web from her mouth, ensnaring Viri and pulling her into its maw before sinking its fangs into her. Viri didn't scream but she lost consciousness. The Spider Queen slammed her into the ground, sending her tumbling in front of us. Her forest green hair, once neatly tied back, came loose and scattered wildly around her.
Tenshi quickly surrounded us with another barrier and began to focus on healing Viri, who had yet to regain consciousness. Tenshi looked increasingly distressed as she activated the healing spell repeatedly with little effect.
"One down, five to go," the Spider Queen taunted with a sinister laugh.
"Why?" Tenshi cried out, her voice breaking as she pleaded for her healing spells to work.
"
Heal!
Heal!
Heal!
"
Each attempt to heal Viri seemed to drain Tenshi's hope further. It was clear that Viri wouldn't wake up until we defeated the boss. The Spider Queen seemed to revel in our despair.
Reyna's anger was palpable, and her face wore a frightening expression that even seemed to intimidate the Spider Queen. With a determined shout, Reyna snapped her fingers and invoked,
"Phoenix Entrapment!"
The walls of the cavern erupted in response as massive, blazing fire ropes materialized. These ropes, forged from pure, searing flame, coiled around the Spider Queen like snakes. The intense heat filled the cave.
"Now!" Reyna yelled.
"Hydrax! Freeze it!"
POP
At the top of the cave, Seraphina took aim and fired a dragon-shaped bullet toward the Spider Queen. The bullet, imbued with icy magic, streaked through the air with a chilling aura. As it hurtled toward her, the Spider Queen attempted to leap away, but Reyna's Phoenix Entrapment had already ensnared her.
The dragon-shaped bullet struck with precision, and a shimmering web of ice materialized around the Spider Queen. The Spider Queen's body froze within seconds, trapped in the crystalline cage. For the first time in the battle, the cavern fell silent, the relentless swarm of spiders ceased, and we were left in the cold, our breaths visible in the icy air.
But Viri remained still, unconscious, her breaths shallow.
A sense of dread settled over me as I looked at the frozen queen. The glint in her eyes—still visible through the ice—made my heart stop. She wasn't dead, not yet. And there was something terrifying in her gaze.
Reyna broke the silence, her voice tight. 'It's not over.'"