| Author: Tensei Mikami | Original Source: Syosetu | Word Count: 2269 characters |
| Translator: Jiro | English Source: Re:Library | Word Count: 803 words |
| Editor(s): Robinxen | ||
The ground trembled sharply, yet with a dull impact, striking fear in the soldiers’ hearts.
The massive spider Demon entered Ulbdor, moving with steps that seemed almost delicate and intricate, a stark contrast to its enormous size. Manipulating its eight obsidian-like legs with remarkable dexterity, the giant spider glided across the ground.
Alongside its army of small spiders, which were nearly uncountable, the sight of the mighty giant spider advancing was enough to shatter the soldiers’ composure, no matter how courageous they were.
Fear. Despair. A palpable sense of death permeated the waves of people without a break. The giant spider’s eight smooth-crawling legs resembled the Grim Reaper’s scythe.
Run, run, run or you’ll die. Those who hesitate will turn to harvest. The whispers of the Grim Reaper resounded within the hearts of the fearful, hastening the collapse among them.
First, the new recruits, young and inexperienced in facing death, turned their backs and fled. Overwhelming fear propelled their bodies more than anything else, and the frontline began to crumble.
Many soldiers were willing to fight, but they found themselves unable to move freely due to the wave of fleeing comrades in front of them.
Amidst the chaos and screaming, the small spiders ruthlessly attacked the backs of the fleeing and frightened soldiers, almost as if they were sneering at their cowardice. Meanwhile, the giant spider remained seemingly inactive.
It simply leaned slightly, its majestic body exuding a regal aura that stirred fear in the hearts of all who beheld it.
Woodback clicked his tongue, and unexpectedly, he drew the battle-axe from his waist.
“Imitia! What do we do?!”
“That thing’s bad news. Don’t mind the tiny ones! We’re taking down the big one! If we let it roam freely, the inner gate will collapse in no time!”
“Yes!”
Imitia swiftly leaped off Woodback’s shoulder like a gust of wind. Woodback readied himself, rotating his shoulders and taking deep breaths.
“I’ll buy time! While I do that, I want you to drag that Demon’s guts out!”
Imitia said, dashing forward. She paid no attention to the fleeing soldiers or the small spiders attacking her. She stepped over, squeezed through, jumped over all while focusing on only one thing. The spider queen’s neck.
Faster, faster, faster, faster than the wind, Imitia sprinted onward. Her extraordinary speed, beyond human capability, stemmed from the Wolfen blood coursing through her veins.
But even that speed wasn’t enough for her. Baring her fangs, Imitia gripped her sharpened sword. Her throat quivered with anticipation, and hot breath escaped from the corners of her mouth.
Power, more power!
Imitia howled. It was a cry impatiently demanding more power. Then it happened. In response, her soft white skin quickly became covered in hard gray body hair. Her claws grew sharper, her nose slightly elongated, and her body transformed into one with supple muscles, resembling that of a wolf.
Within moments, Imitia’s body completed its metamorphosis into a form closer to that of a bipedal wolf. This transformation was known as Bestial Metamorphosis. It was the release of the Beastians’ wilderness. It granted immense strength and speed, sharpening all senses to the brink.
Empowered by her wolf-like form, Imitia1 closed in on the giant spider, leaving behind the world’s perception of time and space.
A single flash. With fearless speed, Imitia swung her silver sword, slashing in a straight line, and aimed at one of the giant spider’s legs.
A hard sound echoed, and a dull impact reverberated through the hilt of the sword in Imitia’s grip. The obsidian-like leg of the giant spider repelled Imitia’s strike with an unexpected hardness.
Undeterred, Imitia delivered two or three more blows to the giant spider’s leg. Under the overwhelming force, the giant spider’s legs began to give in as cracks appeared in the robust limbs.
The calm demeanor the giant spider had maintained until then shattered as it screamed uncontrollably. Perhaps even it had been surprised by the sheer force of the onslaught.
In response to the attack, the giant spider swung its enormous body, trying to shake off Imitia that was swarming around its feet. It spat threads in all directions, enveloping soldiers and small spiders alike, leaving the area in an ivory-colored mess.
Imitia deftly dodged the flying threads, waiting for the perfect moment. With the agility of a wolf, the spider had no chance of catching her.
She moved calmly and gracefully, carefully avoiding any of the threads that had landed on the bridge and could hinder her movements. Playing with a creature many times her size, Imitia patiently waited for the opportune moment. And when the time was right, she yelled,
“Woodback!”
Even higher than the giant spider itself, the giant Woodback, his massive figure towering over the sun, with his axe poised above his head was about to descend.
