Chapter 91
Chapter: 91
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 91
>Chapter Title: Otherworldly Apocalypse (6)
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In the early stages of the Gehenna Incident, right when humanity's counterattack was kicking off in full force on the Paju City frontlines.
After six straight days and nights of nonstop fighting, most hunters had collapsed from exhaustion. That's when it appeared.
Phago Nephila.
The cursed spider spawn that had claimed most of Seongjin's early companions.
* * *
Rumble rumble rumble! Thud!
The monster burst through the floor of the Heresy Tribunal building, kicking up clouds of dust. It was every bit as massive as that spider from back then.
Its plump body was covered in long, coarse spines like thick fur, resembling a violet tarantula. Only it was the size of a large cargo truck, and its legs—disproportionately long compared to its body—moved with the heavy thud of industrial machinery.
At the end of its rigid, elongated segments, wrapped in what looked like steel plating, massive claws gleamed with a vicious crimson sheen.
Screech. Screech. Its eight eyes scanned the surroundings with an eerie glow before locking onto its target.
Ticka-ticka-tick.
The spines covering its entire body vibrated in unison, producing a low-frequency hum.
"Your Highness!"
Ignoring Masain's scream, Seongjin was already charging straight at the spider.
While it sluggishly pulled itself fully out of the hole in the floor, Seongjin darted past its spiny legs.
Before its spinnerets could even turn forward, he reached the center of its underbelly and slashed upward with all his might. Right where the core should be.
Scraaaape.
Walnut Cracker, wrapped in rough aura, somehow managed to slice through the monster's tough exoskeleton.
'...Too shallow!'
Before the spider could fully rise, Seongjin slid beneath it and slashed horizontally across the same spot again. Scrape!
But driving his blade deep into that colossal body was impossible. He needed at least two meters of penetration in one go.
The moment he realized his failure, Seongjin rolled to his feet and began circling counterclockwise around the beast, using its body as cover.
By then, the spider had hauled its full bulk upright. Its glassy red eyes glinted as it surveyed the area.
It seemed to track Seongjin for a moment before turning forward again. Masain was charging head-on with terrifying momentum, sword raised.
"Your Highness!"
It must have prioritized the human coming straight at it. The golden aura coating Masain's blade looked plenty threatening even to the monster.
Seeing the spider clack its venomous fangs, Seongjin yelled at Masain.
"Dodge, Sir Masain! It's about to spit venom!"
"...Pardon?"
While Masain hesitated, Seongjin swiftly brought his sword down on one of the spinnerets near the rear. He didn't destroy it completely, but it was enough to make the spider flinch and turn its head.
Splatter. A torrent of viscous fluid sprayed across the empty lobby floor.
The carpet hissed and melted beneath it. Masain, who had barely sidestepped the acidic barrage, gasped in horror.
"Gah! What the hell is this?!"
"Don't stand there in front—move! Sir Masain!"
At Seongjin's urgent shout, Masain snapped to his senses and bolted toward him.
Boom! Crash! Boom! The spider pivoted to follow, slamming its hard claws into the floor, but the veteran knight commander deftly dodged the massive legs lunging at him.
He even sliced off a segment of a flying mid-leg with a briefly manifested elongated aura blade. As expected, Seongjin's swordmaster was no slouch.
Chasing after Seongjin in a wide circle, he shouted desperately.
"The Royal Guard knights will be here soon, Your Highness! We should fall back for now...!"
"No, Sir Masain! We have to pin it down here!"
Masain didn't know the monster's mobility. If it broke out of the building and rampaged, the casualties would skyrocket. This thing had massacred hunters while moving that fast despite its size.
Plus, the tight space was limiting its aim for now, but if it started spewing webs over a wide area, it'd be a nightmare to deal with.
Knights with no experience against such beasts would get swarmed and killed before they could fight back.
'That's why we need to hammer it while we can keep it spinning in this confined space!'
Of course, with the spider trapped in the building and unable to maneuver freely, Seongjin and Masain were equally restricted. Thanks to the massive hole it had gouged in the floor.
Kwaaaang!
One crane-like leg shot forward like a cannon shell, embedding into the wall. Seongjin dropped and rolled low—just in time, as the path ahead was a dead end.
Scraaaape. He slashed hard at the next incoming leg segment, and using the recoil, he and Masain barely turned the corner. A collapsed hallway wall lay just beside them, letting them pull away from the monster.
Ticka-ticka-tick! Frustrated at missing its prey, the spider shuddered its spines once before stomping after them with heavy claw strikes. One claw sank into the crumbling stone near the hole, causing the edges to collapse further in a rumble.
Kaaaaah! Clang! Clang!
Ominous sounds echoed from below the breached floor. Coming from the prison in the Heresy Tribunal basement.
Screams. Clashing weapons.
And a gruesome crunching, like something being chewed.
A battle was raging inside the prison too. Most of the Tribunal's forces must have rushed underground. Meaning the culprit behind this mess was in there.
'A gate opened after all?'
Seongjin rolled aside to dodge a flying web as he thought. There was no other explanation for all these monsters appearing out of nowhere.
Suspicion pointed to that priest, Hayes. But how could a human open a gate at will?
[Want me to check it out?]
Hearing the Demon King's excited voice, Seongjin let out a hollow chuckle. Lately, the guy seemed thrilled whenever there was work to do. Almost pitiful.
'Please!'
[Got it. You watch yourself too!]
The Demon King vanished from his mind with a pop.
Seongjin swung Walnut Cracker silently as he pondered.
If a gate had really opened in the basement, they couldn't count on reinforcements from the Saint Marthias Knights until the situation inside was resolved. They'd have to hope another palace knight order noticed the chaos and rushed over ASAP.
In the meantime, Seongjin managed to wreck one spinneret completely, and Masain severed two more leg segments.
But as time dragged on, they were being pushed back. Their movement range narrowed with every moment, forcing them into precarious acrobatics. How long could this deadly standoff last?
Splurt. More webs sprayed wildly, gumming up the floor.
The lobby was a sticky mess of spider silk. If they didn't clear it soon, there'd be no solid footing left.
The stairs to the second floor had long since collapsed, soaked in venom.
Sizzle. Seongjin clicked his tongue at the melting railing, trailing smoke. He'd hoped to drop onto the beast's head from above, but no such luck.
"We have to destroy its core, Sir Masain!"
Boom! As Seongjin angled Walnut Cracker to deflect an incoming leg, Masain followed up from behind, fully severing the half-cleaved segment with his sword.
"Do you know where this core is, Your Highness?"
He seemed to grasp it immediately, recalling the maggots from Digory Manor.
"I carved a gash in its underbelly! Aim there!"
Unlike the roaming half-tranta maggots, Phago Nephila's core was always in a fixed spot.
Masain nodded and raised his sword. But his face fell—the spider had circled them and positioned itself right over the hole.
No way to get underneath now.
The two leaped back to dodge an incoming claw—the first real distance since the beast appeared.
"Couldn't we just slash from above?"
Masain asked, wary of the spider's grinding fangs.
"Too tough. The core's close to the underside, and the back plating's twice as hard!"
Maybe Masain's aura burst could do it. That attack matched Seongjin's prime punches in power—might pierce the back to the core.
But from how he only used aura blades sparingly in key moments, Masain seemed limited in deploying them.
And how to even get on its back while it thrashed? Charging the head wouldn't reach the core through that bulk in one hit.
For now, their only option was chipping away at its stamina head-on until an opening appeared.
They'd been forced back to the Heresy Tribunal entrance, facing off with the spider. The floor was blanketed in sticky webs—random dashing was impossible now.
Its two remaining spinnerets twitched toward them.
Sizzle. Smoke rose from its fangs too. Primed to spit venom any second.
Right then, a group of white-uniformed knights poured into the building.
Golden chains and black swords emblazoned on their clothes—members of the Saint Marthias Knights.
"What in the world is this commotion?"
The elderly leader bellowed in a shrill voice. Unfortunately, it drew the spider's attention.
His words ended just as the beast unleashed its barrage of venom needles.
"Everyone, dodge!"
Seongjin grabbed the old man's coattail and yanked him sideways.
"Aaaagh!"
"Argh!"
Too sudden—three holy knights who couldn't evade melted on the spot.
The survivors weren't unscathed either. Some staggered with acid burns; others retreated in terror.
As Seongjin struggled to his feet, the old knight who'd rolled with him lifted his ashen face.
His eyes stared blankly at the puddle of blood where his men had stood moments ago.
"What in the...?"
"Not the time to zone out! You're the captain, right?"
Seongjin readjusted his grip on Walnut Cracker, aiming at the spider—which had turned away, lured by Masain.
"If we don't take this thing down fast, more will die! Order your men—now! If they can't help, at least tell them not to stand there like idiots!"
"...Prince Mores..."
The old man—Sir Durand—finally recognized Seongjin. His eyes blazed with sudden azure fury.
"Prince Mores! I knew it! I knew you'd show your true colors eventually!"
What?
Stunned by the unexpected reaction, Seongjin froze as Sir Durand lunged and seized his collar.
"What have you done?! What have you done to my men?!"
"Wait—"
"After this?! In the Holy Kingdom of the Lord, harming His knights—and you think you'll get away with it?!"
"No, old man! This isn't the time—"
Seongjin tried to pry him off, but the geezer's grip was iron.
A strange glint flickered in his eyes. Shock must have broken him—he wasn't listening.
"You fiend! What are you plotting in Delcross?!"
"Wha—!"
Before Seongjin could even register the blind rage,
"Your Highness! Get down!"
Masain's scream rang out from afar.
Whoosh—a rigid spider leg whipped from behind, smashing both into the wall.
Kwaaaang!
The impact felt like a full-speed dump truck. Darkness swallowed Seongjin's vision in an instant.