A terrifying pain began coursing through Grey's body, from the center of his chest to his limbs, spreading like an electric shock that burned him from the inside.
The enemy's blow had been so devastating that it nearly knocked him out. A jet of blood shot out of his mouth, accompanied by a groan stifled by the pain.
It all happened in a second.
His body crashed against a coral wall, which crumbled under the force of the impact.
When he spoke, his voice came out hoarse, and the blood staining his chin dripped slowly.
"Ah... Damn, this hurts like hell."
His body glowed faintly, and suddenly, everything around him became clearer, sharper.
The strange spider that had struck him was already approaching again. Its sharp legs cut through the air with disturbing agility, while its giant, sturdy body advanced like an uncontrollable beast.
Grey reacted quickly, moving his spear and launching a fast thrust, devastating in its power.
But the irrational beast changed direction at the last moment, surprising Grey, and struck him again, sending another wave of pain through his entire body.
This time, with his enhanced senses, he managed to react in time and adopted a defensive stance, better resisting the impact. Even so, his body was thrown to the side again, though with less force.
'Sara!?'
As he flew several meters through the air, Grey allowed himself a brief glance toward where Sara was before being hit. He saw her facing two steel spiders, dodging their attacks and holding her ground.
'She's holding on... Good. I can't help her right now.'
Finally, his body collided with a web. Grey quickly moved his ascended weapon, cutting the strands effortlessly to free himself.
However, in the brief second it took him to break free of the web, the mutated beast was already upon him, its legs ready for a new devastating attack.
Odyssey glowed intensely, momentarily blinding the mutated beast as it moved at breakneck speed.
A vertical slash cut through the creature's four front legs in the blink of an eye, causing it to collapse heavily into the mud.
With the few seconds gained from that move, Grey quickly moved, taking advantage of his enhanced speed, and dashed into the clearing.
The mutated spider quickly recovered, unaffected by the blindness or the loss of its legs. Although it now moved more slowly, it was still incredibly dangerous.
It still had six legs to maneuver and attack, along with its sharp mandibles and its enormous, powerful body.
Grey ran toward Sara, who was still fiercely fighting the two steel spiders.
"Sara!" Grey shouted, arriving at her side just as she deflected the attack of one of the beasts with her sword, sending it flying to the side.
With an agile leap, she dodged the second spider. Her sword once again acted as a shield, stopping the leg that tried to reach her.
The impact pushed her back, gaining some distance from the arachnid creatures.
As she flew through the air, Sara heard Grey's shout and saw him running toward her, his spear extended behind his back. Their eyes met for a second, and just as she touched the ground, Grey flashed past her.
The mutilated spider, still standing despite everything, lunged at Sara with its open jaws, managing to catch the warrior off guard for a moment.
"Damn ugly thing!" she growled, raising her sword to block the attack.
The mud under her feet gave way to the weight of the onslaught, as her body was slowly pushed back, meter by meter.
Her muscles tensed to the limit, resisting the creature's monstrous strength.
A guttural growl escaped Sara's lips, like a beast pushed to its edge. The fibers of her legs tensed even further, threatening to tear under the pressure.
With one final effort, she lifted the beast into the air, throwing its giant body behind her.
Even the irrational creature seemed stunned for a moment.
Sara fell to her knees, her breath ragged and her body shaken by the pain.
...
At the other end of the clearing, Grey sliced one of the steel spiders in half with a swift and clean vertical movement of his spear after rushing past Sara.
The other arachnid reacted immediately, thrusting one of its legs straight toward Grey's head.
The impact was brutal.
Grey fell to the ground, his face buried in the wet mud.
The spider wasted no time and lunged with its disgusting jaws open, eager to devour the small human and his tasty soul.
Just as the beast's jaws were about to close on him, a glowing spear sliced through the air, severing the spider's head from its body in one strike.
Grey calmly rose from the mud, unfazed, and with a simple thought, dismissed his scaled helmet, looking behind him.
What he saw was... simply astonishing.
"You really are very strong."
With a dull thud, the mutated spider fell heavily into the mud, and a large puddle splashed in all directions.
Grey didn't waste a second. He activated his attack mode, and both his body and spear began to glow intensely.
---
Note: A bit shorter than usual, but I struggle with writing battle scenes, and it was tough to write this.
Anyway, I hope I can get back to posting daily chapters like before.