The moment Dilaila’s mana spread in all directions, the entire area shook as if an earthquake had struck, and the ceiling and walls collapsed, revealing a vast space.
The first to adapt to this change was Shane.
Unlike before, when it had been difficult to maintain his footing on the sand, the newly revealed solid ground provided firm support, allowing Shane to move like the wind.
Shane’s sword, imbued with aura, slashed toward the Solis Spider.
Skreech—!
However, the Solis Spider that was highly sensitive to magic immediately reacted to Shane’s movements.
It anticipated Shane’s trajectory and struck from both sides with its two front legs, while its massive mandibles at the front seemed ready to cleave him in two at any moment.
On top of that, just as it had targeted Mitanos before, its rear end shot downward, aiming at Shane. Even if he retreated, there would be no way to avoid its attacks.
But Shane, as if he had foreseen the spider’s moves, kicked off the ground and leapt.
What entered Shane’s view in that instant was a gap in the shell formed by the spider’s twisted posture, with its rear end turned forward.
No matter how tough its shell was, when bent to its limit like that, a weak spot was bound to appear.
Shane’s sword thrust into that vulnerable gap.
Screeeeeeech—!!
A scream unlike any they had heard from it before echoed through the cave.
Arbash and Taira, who had snapped out of their daze, joined in the fight.
Taira targeted the wound Shane had previously inflicted on its leg, while Arbash drank a mana restoration potion and continued to hinder the Solis Spider’s movements.
“Whew…”
Watching her companions battle, Dilaila let out a sigh of relief.
The movements of the Solis Spider, whose abdomen had been wrecked by Shane’s aura, noticeably slowed down.
Meanwhile, Dilaila had been feeling something strange for a while now.
Why is this so hard…?
She had used a fair amount of mana just now, but hadn’t she made significant progress over the past two years?
Thanks to the growth methods she learned from Shane and her consistent intake of mana stones, Dilaila had long surpassed the point where she’d suffer from mana depletion after casting just a few spells.
So how could she be this exhausted after using only a few spells?
Just as this puzzlement crossed her mind, the tide of battle suddenly shifted.
Skieeeeeeeeeeek—!!
Letting out a terrible shriek, the Solis Spider, having lost one of its front legs entirely and with its abdomen’s insides a complete mess, sensed its impending death.
Upon hearing the sound, Arbash tilted his head slightly.
A monster’s cry contains a great deal of information.
That’s why Arbash made it a point to monitor every one of the creature’s actions to anticipate what might happen next. But the cry the Solis Spider had just let out was one he had never heard before.
What was that…?
At that moment, a faint rustling could be heard from all directions and Arbash suddenly recalled something he had forgotten.
The hatchlings!
Yet rather than panicking at the sound, Arbash actually smiled.
He had already been informed by another team member and a scout that this was the burrow of a Solis Spider that had laid eggs.
Of course, he hadn’t anticipated the presence of both the male and female, but thanks to the efforts of that outsider-looking beastkin, the crisis had essentially passed.
By now, the drug should’ve started taking effect…
As he thought this, Arbash turned his gaze to Dilaila, who had been positioned in the rear.
Being a mage himself, Arbash knew just how unpredictable magic users could be, so he had already marked her as the most troublesome threat.
As if on cue, Dilaila who had been watching the battle with slightly dazed eyes, held her head and swayed…. then collapsed, having lost her balance.
“Ah…?”
Upon confirming the sight, Arbash smirked.
Perfect.
Now the only task left was to rescue Mitanos from the web.
Still, I never knew Solis Spiders could use webbing.
Though there were occasional cases where a sticky liquid was discharged from its hind end, Arbash had neither seen nor heard of a Solis Spider spinning actual webs.
Still, the adult is practically dead. Now all that’s left is to get through the weakened hatchlings, dulled by the sedative.
What Arbash had in mind was to kill using borrowed knives. To let the monsters do the work.
Originally, he had prepared anti-magic restraints to capture the two outsiders alive. But far too many unexpected variables had arisen.
The bones will remain, anyway. I’ll just bring those back. They said even that much would be enough to restore the memory.
A cold gleam flashed in Arbash’s eyes.
“Hup.”
Meanwhile, as the adult Solis Spider began its final rampage, Shane was forced several steps back by a strike of its leg.
Though he managed to block it with his sword, it was clear to anyone watching that his mana control had faltered.
Seeing Shane plant his sword into the ground as if to steady himself and catch his breath, Arbash shouted.
“Taira!”
“Yeah, yeah, I got it already!”
Taira, who had also been watching Shane and Dilaila closely like Arbash, immediately pulled away from the Solis Spider and headed toward Mitanos, who was still entangled in webs.
Meanwhile, Arbash approached the Solis Spider while holding a dagger inscribed with runes.
“Your role ends here.”
Gone was the friendly tone he’d used until now. His voice was cold and merciless. At the same time, he pulled out another mana restoration potion and swallowed it.
“Tch. That makes two of these precious things.”
Just then, as the Solis Spider sensed the surge of mana and again lunged at Arbash with its gaping jaws—
A spell activated, and the spider froze in place.
It was a rune spell that converted physical force into mana and used it to bind the enemy’s movements.
“Good. That should be the end of—huh?”
Arbash, who had just confirmed that Taira had made good progress removing the webbing from Mitanos, suddenly noticed something entering from the opposite side of the chamber.
Hatchling Solis Spiders, each as large as a human torso, were gnashing at the narrow tunnel with their sharp mandibles as they rushed toward the area where their mother lay.
“So they do have some sense of filial duty, huh?”
Turning his gaze from the immobile mother and her advancing offspring, Arbash walked toward Shane, who was now on one knee.
“Well, things have turned out this way. Nothing to be done about it, right?”
“……”
“Don’t hold too much of a grudge against us. After all, isn’t that just how the world works? The weak are meant to be weeded out.”
As he said this, Arbash lifted Shane’s chin with the tip of his dagger to see his lowered face.
But at that moment—
“……?!”
“It really is laughable. So much has changed since before, and yet everything plays out exactly the same. At times like this, I can’t help but feel that fate might really exist.”
“A mask…?”
The face of Shane, who had appeared to be a middle-aged beastkin, had turned into a smooth featureless white mask without anyone noticing.
At the same time, what Arbash had told his team days ago about external threats flashed through his mind like a reel of memories.
“You’re…!”
Reeling in shock, Arbash stumbled and fell backward.
Shane who had just been kneeling moments ago now stood perfectly upright as if nothing had happened.
“You haven’t changed one bit. You always believe yourself to be the wisest. So full of baseless confidence that even unforeseen variables will arise within your grasp and be resolved as you see fit.”
Shane spoke as though he had known him for a long time, and Arbash’s mind went blank.
Does he know who I am?
He definitely took the anti-magic pill, so how is he completely unaffected?
No, from the very beginning… this person…
Who the hell is he?
“Well, since it’s come to this, let’s just call it fate and let me explain. Normally, Solis Spiders don’t spin webs. But when one has recently given birth, it’s different. The creature converts internal secretions into silk and forms egg sacs to protect its young. So some webbing remains inside its body.”
“……”
“And as for why both the male and female were together….it’s because of the Mega Sandworm nearby. Solis Spiders can sense its presence from a much farther distance. It was a defensive behavior to protect their young.”
“Lastly, once the Mega Sandworm begins to emerge, the hatchlings undergo a certain change. That change is—”
As Shane rattled off traits of the Solis Spider that Arbash had never even heard of, a strange sense of unease began to creep over him.
It didn’t take long to realize why.
“A vile act.”
“H-Hey! Arbash! Those bastards…!”
Just then, at the sound of Taira’s scream-like shout, Arbash instinctively turned around.
And there, he saw the hatchling spiders tearing into their own mother’s flesh.
“What the…?”
“Solis Spiders are known for their intense maternal and paternal instincts. They’re even willing to sacrifice their own bodies for the sake of their offspring.”
“…Why now, all of a sudden?”
Why would they begin devouring their mother even with enemies still nearby?
Once again, it didn’t take long for Arbash to realize the reason.
“…!!”
Screeeee…
Skrieeeeeeeeeek—!
Krrrrrk! Krrrrrk!
A rapid transformation came over the hatchling Solis Spiders that had been feasting on their mother’s flesh.
Just moments ago, they had been no bigger than an adult’s torso….but now, their bodies began to swell, all at once.
The transformation was so extreme, it was hard to believe, even while watching it happen with his own eyes.
Once… twice… and then a third time.
In less than ten seconds, they had completed three molts and had grown to nearly the same size as the adult mother Solis Spider.
“That method is advantageous for the survival of the species. By sacrificing itself, the parent forces rapid growth in its offspring. Of course, once they’ve reached that state, they have no choice but to keep devouring their own kind. Without feeding, they won’t survive even a single day. Still, the genetic line is preserved. It’s the ultimate desperate measure… one last gasp to survive the Mega Sandworm.”
And the first target of the now fully grown hatchlings was quickly chosen.
The hatchlings’ chosen targets were Mitanos who was still trapped in webs and Taira, who had raised her claws to try and protect him.
“Damn it…!!”
As the freshly molted hatchlings charged all at once, a chill ran down Taira’s spine. She frantically tried to cut through the remaining webs, but her pace was still far too slow.
“Hey, you bastard! Move! Do something!”
“Grrhhkk…”
“…?!”
But from Mitanos, the one in greatest danger, came nothing but a froth of blood.
Once again, Shane’s voice rang out.
“Ah, I forgot to mention. The idea that Solis Spiders are non-poisonous is a common misconception among many desert tribes. To be precise, the males lack poison but the females have a separate poison gland. It’s used to coat the webs they produce when laying eggs. It’s an evolved trait meant to kill off any predators that try to feed on the young.”
That emotionless voice, to Arbash and his team, felt like a death sentence handed down by some reaper who had already transcended life and death.
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