Chapter 44 The Spider Queen

Selene opened her eyes slowly. Around her, the world was nothing but smoke and drifting embers. A faint shimmer surrounded her — a barrier.

 “Liora... She cast this spell to protect everyone... even the demons.”

Sareth sat up within the same glowing ward, brushing violet hair from her face. She touched the barrier with her hand.

“Well, well. I should’ve been ashes just now. How generous. To think your oh-so-holy princess would waste her power saving me as well.”

“It’s not wasted. She saved everyone — friend or foe. That’s the kind of person Liora is.”

Sareth twirled her spear, ready to continue the fight.

 “Mm. How noble. But I’ll give credit where it’s due… that barrier is impressive. Stronger than I expected. But don’t get used to it. Next strike, you won’t be standing.”

 “Good. I’d hate for things to get boring.”

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Rein staggered to his feet, still unsteady.

 "You’re not recovered yet. You should give it a moment.”

 “Didn’t ask for advice from a monster.”

“Then pretend I’m a blade talking to you.”

The Queen leapt. Her full weight came crashing down — the floor split, stone rupturing under her bulk.

Demon Lord moved first, slicing through the air with a clean upward strike to deflect one of the Queen’s legs. Rein followed, slower.

He spun in from the side, slashing at the joint of another leg. His blade scraped chitin but didn’t break it.

The Queen shrieked, legs lashing like spears.

Rein ducked, barely avoiding one strike — only for another to slam toward his side.

Then, CLANG — Demon Lord's blade intercepted it.

“Still think I’m lying about the monsters?”

“Still think I won’t kill you after this?” Rein shot back.

They broke away in opposite directions, dodging. The Queen roared — a beam of green energy erupting from her glowing abdomen, melting through stone as it tracked toward them.

Demon Lord leapt high, using her momentum to spring off a stalactite. Rein charged. Lightning trailed behind him like a comet. 

“So, this thing feeds on mana and magic, huh? Then I'll just hit it hard with my sword! You damn bug—I don’t have time for you! I’ve got bigger fries to fry!”

Demon Lord didn’t respond with words. She just moved.

With a single breath, she launched herself upward — a blur of black, springing from a ledge, then off a stalactite. 

Rein charged.

Lightning exploded at his heels, trailing behind him in sparking arcs. His eyes locked on the Queen’s center mass. 

The two met her at once.

CRRRRRSSHHHH—!

Demon Lord came down from above like a falling star, blade slicing clean through one of the spider’s eyes — the impact cracking its armored head.

Rein hit the other side a split second later, his sword buried deep into the abdomen, lightning detonating outward on contact.

A howl tore through the cave — sharp, metallic, monstrous.

The Queen convulsed, limbs twitching, webbing snapping loose as corrupted mana leaked like molten sludge.

Then—

A single, awful crack.

The Spider Queen split down the middle — a clean, savage line torn by both blades.

Rein and Demon Lord slid past her in opposite directions — boots carving long trenches into the stone, both slowing to a halt as the spider behind them collapsed in a twitching heap.

Steam rose. Chitin split. The Queen gave one final jerk—And lay still.

 But Rein didn’t lower his sword.

“I’m not falling for this. You think pulling off some cheap illusion, saving me from a bug, or copying her voice will change anything? I don’t know what kind of twisted trick you’re playing, but it ends now.”

His boots scraped the stone as he stepped forward. Lightning sparked across his shoulders.

“No more interruptions. No more games. No more running away. This time, I’m finishing it. Here and now.”

The Demon Lord didn’t move. Her expression didn’t change. Only a long, soft breath escaped her lips. A sound that was too human. Too tired.

“So be it, Rein. If this is the only way you’ll remember me… then I’ll fight.”

Her obsidian blade lifted.

“We trained together every day. You used to get mad when I went easy on you. You’d swing till your arms gave out just to keep up. If any part of that still exists inside you… maybe, you’ll feel it through our fight.”

She stepped into stance — the one he’d seen a thousand times. The same stance she used to beat him during sparring, over and over.

Rein’s eye twitched. His grip tightened. Lightning sparked around his body, growing louder, stronger.

“Don’t pretend to be her, monster! Don't speak as if you know a damn about her! Don’t you dare!”

They stood across from each other.

BOOM.

The cave exploded beneath their feet the instant they moved. Not stepped — launched. Two blurs collided in midair, faster than thought, faster than sound. The stone cracked. The air was set on fire.

CLANG!

Sparks flew as blades met — the impact lit up the dark like a volcanic flash, carving out shockwaves that blew molten dust off the cavern floor. The spider queen’s chamber shook and rumbled like it was caught in a brawl of gods.

Rein pressed forward, sword flickering with lightning, every swing faster than the last — one, two, seven, twenty. His strikes blended fire with wind, blades becoming flame-drenched arcs of speed and fury. Lightning coiled around him like armor.

Aura met him blow for blow, void magic swallowing the light around her, her obsidian sword meeting his. Her movements were cold, perfect — dark magic woven into each step, each breath.

Their magic clashed with every strike — each collision another explosion, as if thunder was born again and again right in the heart of the world.

Rein shouted, “Thousand Slash of Lightning!”

He vanished — reappearing above her with a spiral of light trailing behind his blade. Aura raised her sword, blocking mid-air. The shockwave from the strike cracked the ceiling, raining boulders the size of carriages down into the abyss.

She countered — “Void Tornado!”

A spiral of dark magic tore upward, slicing space itself. Rein twisted, fire igniting around his boots as he dashed sideways, barely dodging the tearing edge. He spun around, dragging lightning through the air like a whip.

She followed.

Blades collided again — and again — and again — every hit carving out a deeper crater. The cave was no longer a cave — it was a warzone.

Rein’s feet slammed into the stone as he leapt back.

“Let’s end this!”

He raised his sword high, gripping it in both hands. Sparks screamed across the blade. The very air bent around him.

He came crashing down, with all his weight, all his magic, all his fury.

CRRRRKK-KLANG!!

Demon Lord blocked it. Rein’s blade sliced clean through her obsidian weapon like a hot knife through butter. Her sword exploded in her hands, shards flying like shrapnel. The shockwave from the impact sent a blast of wind rippling outward.

But she didn’t even flinch.

Her fingers curled, mana bursting out with a snap, wrapping her fist in searing overcharged energy. Violet and black fire arced across her forearm, twisting like serpents.

BANG!!

Her knuckles slammed into the edge of Rein’s blade mid-swing — time slowed.

Rein watched in slow motion as her fist dented the edge of his Hero blade like it was soft clay. Cracks shot down the steel in spiderweb patterns, and then—

SHHHHRRACK!!

It shattered.