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[Divine Protection] G.o.ddess of the Underworld, Altesia

[Attributes] Darkness, Death

The forest stretches endlessly.

And in it, I stand before a powerful foe. At times like this, my very being cannot help but quiver, elated at the thought of battling a worthy adversary.

“Kisha”

Eight giant, long legs support its body. And its eight eyeb.a.l.l.s gleam a light of dark-red.

Not a hint of life could be felt from those eyes. As if they were naught but b.a.l.l.s of gla.s.s, those dark-red eyes of it, gleam lifelessly, gazing into me. Only one thing is certain, it acknowledges me as its prey.

I bring the Iron Second (Steel Great Sword) over my shoulder. I balance myself, and I tilt myself forward. 

The weight of the sword, my grip on its hilt, the sensation of my feet planted firmly on the ground, all of these information are surging into me, my senses heightened. Now, not even the movement of the giant spider’s capillaries can escape my eyes. Similarly, my sense of hearing has also heightened, allowing me to hear even the breathing of all that is living around the spider. 

I look at the spider and ascertain the distance between it and me.

I exhale.

As I exhale, the breath that came out was hot like the raging fire within my body.

I am standing here now. Here, right before the strong of the forest, the giant spider. Yes, I dare challenge it.

Gi Gu and Gi Ga are in the surrounding thickets, watching attentively with bated breaths. 

In a normal hunt, we would’ve prepared traps beforehand, ensuring our victory, however, this time is different. In truth, it could be said that this is nothing more than my selfishness.

Right now, I am insufficient. So I’m doing this to remedy that. That I might be able to overcome Res.h.i.+a’s overwhelming power. 

So far I’ve lost twice. Once when I was swallowed by the will of the G.o.ddess of the underworld, and another when I ended up bowing my head to her. 

Res.h.i.+a is alluring, very alluring. In fact her charm is so powerful that even when we’re only talking it feels as if my very soul could be pulled out by her at any moment. Such atrocious power… there’s no other way to put it –

Absolute charm.

It is highly probable that there is something going on between the G.o.ddess of the underworld and the G.o.ddess of healing. A special bond that’s causing this unexplainable phenomenon. This sensation that’s seducing me to drown within that woman.

And that’s why I must do this. I must, at all costs, challenge a foe that I have little chance of defeating.

As for whether I can or cannot win... 

I must bring out all of my power, from every fiber of this body of mine, and present to my partner in this dance of life and death a bloodbath.

… Must? No, I WILL!

I WILL bring to it a bloodbath!

Else how could I ever dream of conquering that woman, that saint’s overwhelming power!?

“GURUUUuuAA!”

Out of my mouth, bellowed out Overpowering Howl, greeting the foe before me.

[Skill] > activated, computing the target’s weakness. 

>

But a spider’s body was only made up of its head, its body, and its legs to begin with.

–––––– Hmph! Even a fool could figure this out! What a useless skill!

The blood having gone to my head, I couldn’t help but hurl insults at the useless skill inside my mind.

Then in an instant, the spider appeared to compress itself. Using its entire body like a spring, it leaped. At the same time, venom hurled from its mouth as it towered over me.

I managed to find a path to survival underneath those eight legs of it as I swung the Iron Second (Steel Great Sword), and dived through it. In the process, I sent one of its legs flying, and the giant spider realized that its attack has failed.

Immediately, the spider stopped and tried to regain its balance, after which it came pouncing again.

Having just dived out of harms away, I could not dodge the spider’s charge, and could only s.h.i.+eld myself with my sword as I received the brunt of its attack. The impact sent me flying, and I felt pain spread from my back as I laid down on the ground. 

It felt as if a burning staff had just impaled itself through my lungs as I choked, unable to properly breathe.

But the enemy would not give me the comfort of rest, no. Already, it was on its way to feast on me as it leaped towards me.

––––s.h.i.+t, it’s fast!

Unable to ascertain where my foe would land, I left everything to my instincts, and swung my sword.

Fortunately, and perhaps thanks to the [Skill] Swordsmans.h.i.+p C+, my sword managed to lop off another one of the spider’s forelegs.

Continuing that momentum, I slashed upwards.

But before my sword could reach the spider, my shoulder was pierced by one of the spider’s sharp limbs. 

I almost released my grip on the sword, but I gripped it once again with my hand, and I swung it down, leaving the strength to its weight.

That steel great sword came cras.h.i.+ng down, and not even the limb that had pierced into my shoulder would be left standing at its descent. Immediately, the spider jumped back.

Boom! A thunderous roar erupted, leaving nothing but a crater on the ground. 

But the giant spider was a moment faster, and it was able to dodge. 

Fortunately, it was not uninjured. 

Green bodily fluids could be seen flowing from half of its eyes, and three of its limbs have already been severed. But the spider still hasn’t lost its will to fight.

The spider let out a menacing shriek as it watched me.

This duel is starting to look bleak for me. After that last attack, the wound on my shoulder’s been bleeding incessantly.

––– I don’t have time!

As I took a slas.h.i.+ng stance, I kicked off against the ground with all my strength, and slashed at the spider… but it slipped.

An unstable sword due to impatience. And too much power that moved the sword too high. These two factors together caused my sword to miss its target, and the sword that should have skewered the giant spider slid against its body instead.

“Tch…”

At that irrevocable miss, the giant spider closed in.

Like a spring, it leaped at me, and aimed for my shoulders with its venomous fangs.

––– Tch! If I take a step back here!!

If I take a step back here, then the giant spider will push and hold me down.

Regardless of what I do, the situation’s bad.

At that instant, I decided to fight the spider head-on.

I met the charge of the spider with my own, and my arm that was caught in between, creaked a horrible sound.

I know that it can’t be helped. There truly was no other way left, but still… the price I had to pay to dodge the giant spider’s venomous fangs was simply too high. 

Having no luxury to wallow in my loss, I swallowed whatever bitterness I had, and took back my sword. 

At this distance, the spider won’t be able to move its legs freely.

So I’ll make full use of this, and smash the spider’s head with Iron Second!!

“Kishuaa-!?” 

The spider let out confused shrieks as if it was the first time it had felt pain. 

As one would expect, the great sword that should be used with two hands can’t quite put enough power with only one hand. The sword smashed against the spider’s head, but it failed to severe it and could only stop at the surface.

––– Don’t hold back! Let him have it!

I raised my broken arm, and I pushed the large, double-edged sword into the spider’s head.

Green bodily liquid spurted all over my body as blue blood from my shoulder dyed the spider’s head, blue.

“Gu, nuuaaaAAaa!”

I exerted all of my strength and pushed the great sword in the spider’s head.

But at the same instant, I felt pain in my stomach, and I was pushed away.

The spider had swept me with its foreleg.

“Gu, ha!”

I coughed dark-blue blood out.

––– This is… my chance!

Supporting my body with my remaining arm, I endured the fatigue and pain as I stood up once more.

My sword is still stuck into the spider.

I don’t have a weapon.

But that doesn’t matter. I’ve already come this far. Whether I have a weapon or not, whether I have a strong body or not, and whether there’s a difference in strength between races… none of that matters!

The only thing that matters is the will to live.

And this instinct that’s screaming inside me to kill my opponent.

“RuaAAAAa!”

I bellowed out a cry from the bottom of my stomach, and blue blood came spurting along with it, but the blood was irrelevant.

With my remaining strength, I kicked off against the ground, and with one arm dangling, I swung my last remaining arm.

The spider responded to my howl!

The staggering spider looked at me with those red-black eyes of it that’s flowing with green bodily liquid.

“Kishuaa!”

Driven by instinct, it rushed my direction with my sword still stuck to it.

Completely absorbed, I moved my legs, and I swung my arms.

At the same time, the spider unleashed its sharp, long limbs at me.

In an instant, it was if everything had slowed down. The world, and everything in it, had come to a near halt, and all the sounds in the world seem to have left.

––– We greeted each other with a howl.

––– And we fought each other with nothing but our fists.

––– [Skill]