Riyugi's body remained tightly bound by spider silk, the oppressive atmosphere thickening with every passing moment. Under Watcher 24's command, the surrounding web began to tremble, countless spiders scuttling in from all directions. Fear filled Riyugi's eyes, her breathing shallow and labored. She was immobilized, forced to watch helplessly as the venomous fangs of a giant spider drew closer.
"Riyugi!" Myouka's heart pounded as she watched death approach her companion. Desperation surged through her, pushing her to act. But as she reached for her bow, she realized her arrows were depleted.
Suddenly, a familiar figure emerged from the distance—it was Shingin.
His movements were slow, deliberate, and unyielding. Standing amidst the storm, his silhouette radiated a frosty determination. All eyes turned to him, the battlefield momentarily halting. A flicker of hope surfaced in Riyugi's eyes, like a beacon in the dark. Yet when Shingin's gaze fell upon her, there was no trace of emotion.
His voice was as cold as ice: "Handle this yourselves. I have no time for you."
The words shattered the fragile hope that had blossomed in Riyugi's heart. A pang of despair constricted her chest, and the light in her eyes dimmed. Everyone else stood frozen, stunned by his indifference. Shingin did nothing to save her—he merely watched, detached, and aloof. His cold demeanor pierced the hearts of all present like shards of ice.
"He… he won't help us?" Myouka whispered, her voice hollow, her mind blank.
"Is this… the real Shingin?" Syoruha muttered, his voice tinged with a disappointment too profound to conceal.
Amid their despair, Riyugi's mortal peril intensified.
The giant spider edged closer, its metallic sheen glinting under the faint light. Its thick, armored body was etched with grotesque patterns, each fold like a razor-sharp blade. Eight crimson eyes gleamed malevolently, as though they could see straight into Riyugi's soul, feeding off her terror.
Its clawed legs moved with dreadful precision, their tips dark as ink and glistening with a slimy sheen. The touch of its limbs sent shivers down Riyugi's spine—a chilling, sticky sensation that scraped against her nerves. The predator seemed to savor its prey, examining every inch as if claiming its prize.
Just as the spider's venomous fangs, dripping with a sinister black-green toxin, neared Riyugi's neck, the tension reached its peak.
Then, in an explosive burst, Yame's figure darted across the battlefield. Like a tempest unleashed, she threw herself between Riyugi and the monster, pushing back the lethal arachnid with all her strength.
"Boom!" The spider reeled from the impact, but Yame's small frame couldn't withstand the creature's retaliation. Its overwhelming force tore her body apart, scattering blood and torn flesh across the field. Poison seeped into her broken form, sizzling and hissing as it corroded the earth.
"Yame!" Myouka finally reached them, but the sight of Yame's shattered body stopped her in her tracks. Yame was unrecognizable—bloodied, battered, and broken. Yet even in death, her hand clung tightly to Riyugi, unwilling to let go.
Riyugi's heart raced as tears streamed down her face. Her trembling hand reached out to touch Yame's face, her lips quivering. "Yame… why?"
With fading strength, Yame's voice came faint and resolute: "Don't… cry."
"I won't let you die here," Riyugi sobbed, her voice choked with anguish.
But Yame's words grew weaker, her gaze unfocused, her grip loosening. Slowly, her body turned cold, life slipping away.
"Yame…" Riyugi broke down, her sobs uncontrollable. She couldn't comprehend why Yame would sacrifice herself, why Shingin would turn his back on them.
As the battle raged on, death lingered like a shadow. The Watchers pressed their assault, unyielding, merciless. Blood soaked the ground, and despair choked the air.
Myouka stood amidst the ruins, the carnage twisting into a grotesque nightmare. Corpses, shattered webs, and broken stones lay scattered around her. The stench of decay filled her nostrils, and the weight of death pressed heavily on her.
Out of nowhere, a bat swooped low, grazing past Myouka and tearing away her cherished scarf. The scarf fluttered into a pool of blood, resembling a wilted flower.
The sight awakened something within her—a deep, bone-chilling cold. Myouka's sorrow and anger crystallized into a single, unrelenting force. Her petite frame quivered, not from fear, but from the unshackled power surging through her veins.
Frost crept across the ground beneath her, spreading outward in icy tendrils. Her long, flowing hair danced in the frigid wind, her eyes glowing with an ethereal blue light—a glacial abyss of resolve and fury.
Ice formed around her feet, alive and writhing, as if responding to her emotions. The battlefield froze under her rising power, the temperature plummeting rapidly. With a motion as delicate as it was deliberate, Myouka raised her hands. Cold mist swirled around her, condensing into razor-sharp shards of ice.
The ancient, primal force within her erupted, a torrent of icy energy cascading forth. The spider webs froze solid and shattered into fine crystals. The monstrous arachnids froze mid-stride, their forms encased in frost before crumbling into glittering shards.
Myouka stood like an unyielding glacier, her small frame radiating an overpowering aura of cold determination.
Her whisper carried the chill of death itself: "You will all perish."
An overwhelming frost surged outward, consuming everything in its path. The battlefield transformed into a frozen wasteland, a realm of unrelenting ice and snow. Those who opposed her were reduced to statues of ice, shattered by the merciless winds.
At that moment, the Icebound Soul awakened. And nothing could escape its wrath.