The Strongest Holy Magic
My plan was simple.
The Arachne had just finished laying her eggs and was now in the hatching phase. Her maternal instincts would still be running strong. The hatchery—the spider's nest—was right in front of us. The moss was nearly dry, perfect fuel. Babiyen's fire magic would set it ablaze in an instant. Once the hatchery caught fire, the Arachne would rush back to extinguish it. In that window, we'd escape using Horizon's shadows.
"What do you think?"
After laying out the plan, I watched Kalen's reaction. He stood with a hand on his chin, deep in thought.
"Even so, isn't this far too risky?"
Bandal's face made his displeasure clear. He was right—the plan carried heavy risks. One wrong move and the entire Moss Flower Cave could be in danger.
"I'd rather we all die together fighting the Arachne than sit here waiting for the end," Babiyen said, surprisingly backing me up.
She had been killed by the Lord of Red Flames not long ago. She knew better than anyone how dangerous a rampaging fantasy species could be when the Lord of Red Flames herself had to step in.
"Even if we can tie down the Arachne, what about the criminals?" Miren asked.
If the criminals had already sealed the exit, luring the Arachne wouldn't matter—we'd still be trapped.
"The fact that they deliberately induced the Arachne's spawning cycle means they intend to use her, not kill her. If they had the strength to kill an Arachne outright, they wouldn't have resorted to such a dangerous gamble."
"We don't know how they predicted the Moss Flower Cave would connect the first and second worlds today, but one thing is certain—they can't handle the Arachne themselves."
The solution was straightforward once we understood their limits.
"If the Arachne heads for the exit, they'll have no choice but to flee through it. Same as us."
"Hold on, Saint Mage. How exactly are you planning to lead the Arachne to the exit? I thought we were just tying her down here."
Pingle raised the obvious flaw in the plan.
"Everyone knows fantasy species are extremely sensitive to holy magic."
It was a universal trait among fantasy species, and the higher their rank, the stronger the reaction. I possessed the highest-grade holy magic possible—resurrection magic. I wouldn't reveal its existence to them, but it was the perfect lure for a fantasy species.
"I have a special holy magic. With it, I can draw the Arachne to us without fail."
At her level, she'd come charging with bloodshot eyes.
"So we lure her according to the plan, then use the holy magic to lead both her and the criminals straight through the exit."
The Orthodox Army would be waiting outside. They'd capture the criminals immediately.
"Once the Arachne loses sight of me, she'll return to the hatchery to finish putting out the fire. With her contained in one place, the remaining explorers can escape through the exit as well."
The cave system was all connected. Once smoke spread, the explorers would notice something was wrong and rush toward the exit. Their lives would be saved too. I didn't particularly care if some primitive otherworlders died, but losing explorers would drive up prices. I already needed money—rising costs would only make things worse.
"It's a plan with zero safety guarantees," Kalen said bluntly.
He was right. There was no safety net here. Even I found the plan burdensome. If the Arachne caught me, I'd be swallowed whole. Even if I resurrected from whatever came out the other end, there was no guarantee I'd make it out of the first world. I'd be lucky not to run into more spiders on the way.
Still, letting the criminals play us for fools was the worse option. We could only guess at their true goal. Normally, one might assume they were taking the explorers hostage. But after seeing them deliberately trigger the Arachne's spawning cycle and predict the cave's connection to the first world, it was clear they'd been planning this for a long time. Would people like that be satisfied with simply returning safely to the first world or receiving some equivalent reward?
No. There had to be something more. And whatever it was, it could easily be more dangerous than the Arachne itself.
"Horizon, can you do it?"
Babiyen's willingness was already confirmed. When I turned to Horizon, her eyes wavered. Then she clenched both fists.
"I-I have to! Harua, you're even trying to save the other explorers!"
That wasn't really my intention. I'd only mentioned the other explorers to boost participation. People worked better when guilt was removed and a sense of justice was added. Horizon had swallowed the bait completely. Easy mark.
"That's true."
Oddly enough, Babiyen agreed with her and shot me a glance. After being used as a hostage by me in the past, what exactly was she agreeing with?
"Tch. Typical saint mages."
"Hahaha, now that's real righteousness!"
"He's a kind person."
Even Kalen's team seemed to have raised their opinion of me. My little speech had worked better than expected.
"Let's do it."
Kalen gave his final approval. He wasn't agreeing out of any desire to save others. He had simply judged that playing along with the criminals' scheme was the greater risk.
"Harua, we'll clear the path first."
The route to the exit would be crawling with spiderlings, possibly other explorers or criminals as well. To escape while luring the Arachne, we needed the path as clear as possible. Otherwise, we'd get caught dealing with something else and the Arachne would overtake us. Kalen's team's role was critical.
"Everything else will depend on your judgment. Are you ready?"
Most of the plan's execution would fall on our team. In return, Kalen's team's lives would rest in our hands. If we failed against the criminals at the exit and the Arachne, they'd be caught in the middle and die.
"Yes."
So failure wasn't an option.
Kalen stripped his gear down to the essentials and armed himself. We did the same. Unnecessary baggage would only slow us down on a long run.
"We'll take the long way around and clear a path from the nest to the exit. Pingle, coordinate the route with Horizon."
"Whew, my hands are shaking already."
While Pingle worked with Horizon, Kalen pulled a small orb from his pocket.
"Signal orb. When it lights up, execute the plan."
A simple magical tool, but essential for this situation. Kalen completing his path-clearing mission would be the signal to begin the breakthrough.
"Good luck."
"You too."
Kalen ended the conversation and moved out quickly. Once they were gone, I turned to Babiyen and Horizon. Both wore determined expressions.
"Let's get started."
It was time to set the hatchery ablaze.
* * *
A high-ranking fantasy species. The Arachne.
Eight legs and a massive abdomen. The upper body rising from it was a grotesque fusion of human and spider. Right now, she was hungrier than ever. Forced into an early spawning cycle, she had laid her eggs in haste. Normally, she would have gorged herself beforehand. This time she hadn't, and the hunger burned hotter than ever.
Delicious scents drifted from every direction. Normally she would have gone outside the Moss Flower Cave to hunt, but today was different. The smells were everywhere, overwhelming. She couldn't resist.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-thud—
The Arachne began racing through the cave at high speed. The ground trembled with every step, as if an earthquake had struck. Foam mixed with venom dripped from her mouth as she ran. Then, suddenly, she stopped.
What scent did living creatures instinctively reject most? The smell of burning. Fire could break out anywhere. A single lightning strike from the sky could turn an area into a sea of flames. So all creatures feared fire. The acrid stench of burning was a danger etched into their instincts.
Right now, the Arachne smelled an especially thick burning odor. And it was coming from the direction of her hatchery.
She turned her massive body and began running again. When she arrived at the hatchery with frantic steps—
Fwoooosh!
Flames were raging wildly. Thick black smoke spread through the cave. Beneath it, the eggs that should have hatched and the newborns that had just emerged were rolling in the fire. The dry moss had become perfect kindling, and the flames only grew fiercer.
The Arachne let out a roar. At the same time, she began stomping on the burning areas with her legs. The sight of her newborn young burning alive ignited something in the mother's heart as well. Of course, every time the Arachne thrashed about, the few surviving young were crushed, but she had plenty of offspring. She was not the sort of mother to care for dying young.
The Arachne fired webs toward the flames, desperately trying to suppress the fire. But no matter how much she tried to extinguish it, the blaze only spread. Something was very wrong.
Just as she began searching for the cause—
She stopped. Her head slowly turned.
In the direction she looked stood a man. He wore partial armor with a single dagger at his waist. In his hand, he held up a single finger.
The moment he clenched his fist, a pure white light enveloped the area.
The strongest holy magic in the world.
The Arachne's eyes turned crimson. She entered a berserk state and roared. The man—Harua—canceled the magic on his finger and shouted.
"Horizon!"
The shadows swallowed Harua and spat him out a short distance away. The Arachne forgot about the fire and turned her massive body to chase him.
The lure had succeeded. All that remained was reaching the exit safely.
So—
"Run!"
If you stop, you die.