Arachne (2)
Frustratingly, the chance to bury himself in an Arachne never came. The moment Ellis, the Arachne goddess, summoned her minion, Cheonsol made a bold declaration.
"This lady shall face her."
"Mmm. Looks like their male isn't coming out, is he?"
A female Arachne who spoke with the exact same languid cadence as her goddess. Being a mere minion, her beauty fell short of the divine original — but her well-defined abs and glossy black legs still held plenty of appeal.
Her chest, though, was a bit of a letdown. On a human frame those breasts would have been a generous D-cup, but scaled against an Arachne's bulk they barely registered as flat.
"Cheonsol. You stay put. I'm going out."
"Hu—"
Cheonsol had been about to name a skill when she caught Lan-lan-i's eye and hesitated.
"Can you swear you will not use that skill?"
"Impossible."
Ellis ranked several tiers above them. Against a minion belonging to some no-name god who hadn't even managed a ten-win streak, they could farm freely — but stripping your ace technique against a high-ranker?
That was the same as telling Cheonsol not to use her martial arts at all.
"Lan-lan-i may take a shock. It is only right that this lady go forth."
"Wouldn't she be fine?"
Lan-lan-i had hatched while watching her parents have sex. She'd already seen Mom and Dad going at it — so watching Dad with another woman would probably just entertain her.
"It is not fine in the slightest. Master, I ask that you speak as well."
"Cheonsol should go. Yohan already worked himself half to death making items."
A justification hard to argue with. Cheonsol declared with full confidence:
"Besides, Arachne match this lady's affinities exceedingly well."
"Why?"
"Their bulk means they bleed in abundance, does it not? Far easier to handle than foes of this lady's own size."
That also sounded plausible. No choice but to yield the turn — though it left a bitter taste in his mouth.
"If it gets rough, don't push it. Swap out right away."
He still needed a taste of that Arachne pussy, after all.
"Worry not. Mother is strong. Therefore this lady is strong."
"Mom's so cool!"
The moment Lan-lan-i's cheer ended, Sophia worked the window.
RNK.89 Trainer Sophia has sent out her first minion.
Minion — Vampir Cheonsol
"What a shame. I wanted to jump that human male."
"How dare you covet a husband before his wife's very eyes."
"A little fun on the side is fine, isn't it? Squeeze a male too tight and he starts wandering, you know?"
"Kh..."
Cheonsol was losing the war of words. He couldn't stand watching his wife get verbally outmatched. Time to point out the Arachne's logical error.
"Don't worry! Whether you leave me free or keep me under watch, I'll still go around screwing other wom—"
"Would you shut up already?!"
Sophia frantically clamped a hand over his mouth. Lan-lan-i, who had been listening intently, broke into a bright grin.
"What's 'screwing'?"
"Lan-lan-i. You mustn't repeat everything Yohan says, okay?"
"Why? Lan-lan-i loves Mad Demon!"
"Loving Yohan is fine, but loving Yohan's nonsense is not."
"No! Love Mad Demon!"
"Lan-lan-i..."
Barely a day old and already melting her father's heart. So this was why people had kids.
"Want to sit with Dad and watch how awesome Mom fights?"
"Yeah! Hold me!"
"That's my girl."
Given her size, a proper hug was out of the question, so he set her on his palm. Lan-lan-i sprawled across his hand like it was her personal bed, cute and utterly lovable.
"Go Mom!"
"Heh. Lan-lan-i's cheers fill this lady with strength."
"I'm the sad one here. Having to thrash a mother right in front of her child..."
"Hoh."
Cheonsol unleashed her aura. Right on cue, Sophia worked the screen.
Sophia — Ready.
Ellis — Ready.
Both trainers have finished preparations.
Defeat Condition 1: Exhaustion of stamina
Defeat Condition 2: Trainer's surrender
"Go Cheonsol! Wipe them all out so Yohan doesn't even need to step in!"
"Go Mom!"
"Go, my beautiful wife!"
"Elilirone. You need to force that human male out."
Bolstered by their respective cheers, Cheonsol and Elilirone moved the instant the battle began. Without drawing a blade, Elilirone stretched an arm toward the charging Cheonsol.
"Spider Web."
"No!"
Shock. Horror.
"Spider silk — from her tits?!"
If you ever tried to suckle for milk, you'd get a mouthful of sticky, disgusting webbing instead! An Arachne like this was unforgivable!
"Cheonsol! Kill that insolent spider!"
"Your personal grudges are showing."
Cheonsol muttered dryly and flicked her feet. Her form curved sharply to the right, slipping past the web.
"Nice dodge. How about this, then?"
Elilirone smiled seductively and brought both hands to her nipples.
"Triple Spider Web."
Hooked fingers pinched her teats, and thicker, broader strands of silk shot forth. She only had two tits — so why was it Triple?
Whatever scrap of goodwill he'd held for her evaporated on the spot. The attack's power, though, was the real deal. The widely spread webbing blanketed the entire forward approach, and Cheonsol's brow furrowed.
Dodging that will be difficult.
The Bloodflame Heavenly Descent Cheonsol had demonstrated in her battle against Yohan excelled at restricting an opponent's options — but even that fell short of Triple Spider Web.
With both the air and the ground ahead completely occupied, retreat was the only way out.
Spider silk does not vanish even after it hits the floor.
Unlike Bloodflame Heavenly Descent, which ended as a one-directional strike meant purely to deal damage, this was a control technique with outstanding persistence. Step on it and you'd be stuck fast — so circling around was the only option, and then she'd just fire another Spider Web to block the new path.
Therefore: cut through and advance. Cheonsol drew the slender blade that had been waiting in its sheath. Her fingers brushed along the edge of the sword path, painting the blade with blood.
"Bloodflame."
Crimson sword-ki blazed to life. She swung heat fierce enough to sting her own skin, and the webbing burned away.
"Nice one, Cheonsol! Spider silk's gotta be burned! Keep using Bloodflame!"
"A Vampir using fire-attribute skills. I've been countered."
"It is not a skill!"
To dismiss martial arts forged through blood and sweat as mere skills — coming from a race that leaned entirely on innate physique and magic — was unforgivable. Cheonsol could not, would not, pardon Elilirone.
In a few strides she closed to point-blank range and bit down on the inside of her cheek. The moment the coppery taste spread, she spat and ducked low.
Ptoo.
Whoosh.
An Arachne foreleg swept past Cheonsol's back. Through pure Vampir instinct, she knew the spit had struck true.
"Burn."
"Kyaaaah!"
A quantity of blood no larger than Lan-lan-i's palm set Elilirone's foreleg ablaze. A savory smell rose, like shrimp on a grill.
"Y-you—! You hurt me?! Unforgivable!!"
Enraged, Elilirone worked her eight legs in a frantic tap-dance.
A hit from those pointed tips would skewer you like a kebab. Cheonsol abandoned offense and focused entirely on evasion. Elilirone's rapid thrashing snuffed the flames, but the once-hard carapace had gone soft.
"Kyaaaaah!"
"Elilirone! Regain your composure!"
Hearing the exchange between minion and goddess, Cheonsol prepared to switch back to the attack. She was drawing up her internal energy when Yohan shouted:
"Don't fall for it!"
Fall for what, exactly?
Circulating her energy, she looked up. Amid the hard spider carapace, an exposed vulva and anus.
Do Arachne leave their undersides bare even in ordinary circumstances?
Any normal lifeform evolved to keep its weak points covered. Confirming the chrysanthemum-wrinkled anus flexing above her, Cheonsol kicked off the ground at once.
Pssht.
Spider silk carpeted the spot she had just vacated. She exhaled in relief — then caught Elilirone's words.
"Did I hit heeer?"
Cheonsol understood. An Arachne's lower body was so massive she couldn't see an enemy who slipped underneath!
She redirected the internal energy she had gathered, sealing off her presence, and cried out:
"Kh! Have Arachne no shame at all?! How dare you resort to such filthy tricks!"
"So I did hit heeer."
A spider leg stabbed through the space just beneath the anus.
"Huh?"
Before Elilirone could grasp what was happening, Cheonsol's blade flashed. Two legs that had bunched toward the center went flying, spraying green blood.
"Kyaaak! You tricked meee!!"
"The one who fell for it is the Vamp— the Arachne, you fool."
"I won't let you die cleanlyyy!"
"Elilirone! Calm yourself and open the distance!"
As if she would simply let her flee on Ellis's orders. To break the crouch Elilirone had settled into for a leap, Cheonsol severed one more leg.
Elilirone still managed to jump on five legs alone. She soared a full three jang — roughly nine meters — but Cheonsol had means of striking an Arachne even at that height.
"Bloodflame."
Whoooosh.
"Kyaaaaaaaak!!"
Flames spreading from the severed legs engulfed Elilirone entirely. The searing agony shattered her concentration for a critical instant, and she plummeted to the ground.
"Pay the price for coveting this lady's husband."
Cheonsol's slender blade tore into Elilirone without mercy. The flame-wreathed Arachne thrashed with web-magic and flailing legs, but the panicked, wild swings never came close to landing on Cheonsol.
With exquisite footwork she severed legs and punched through the lower carapace. Elilirone bled like a ruptured dam.
"Kill me! Just kill me already!"
"Why waste such a precious resource by killing you early?"
To handle the next minion with ease, she needed to wring every last drop of blood from the first. Legs gone, Elilirone died of massive blood loss.