Chapter 100: Forest Thorns vs. Blood Thorns (3)

The spider, the size of a tiger, filled the sphere of blood with eggs at great speed before exiting the reddish bubble. The image was so disgusting that Lucian, for a second, stared fixedly at that pulsating mass.

In that moment of distraction, the assassin, drawing his knives, broke the roots that imprisoned him and then jumped into the interior of the blood bubble, hiding his presence among the white eggs and the reddish mass.

“This is going to be dangerous… Why don’t you summon Tina? Maybe with her size you could get out of this,” said Shin, the living trunk, as he pulled his hands out of the ground, breaking the enormous roots that had formed along parts of his arms.

“If I could, I would have done it a long time ago… I already used Tina a few weeks ago, the preparation time for Tina is three months, so forget it… We have to deal with this ourselves,” Lucian replied with annoyance, without taking his eyes off the sphere.

Suddenly, from the bloody bubble, the eggs began to crack open one after another, releasing spiders that shot out like projectiles, seeking to feed on the first visible source of heat they could find in the courtyard.

Lucian, disgusted by the spiders the size of small dogs, let out a whistle, activating the magic of his summon, and Shin slammed his oak fists together, preparing to face the first wave head-on.

{{Forest Magic: Thorn Armor}}

Thorns began to sprout all over his body, covering shoulders, arms, and torso, striking every spider that got too close and bursting their bodies against the hardened oak of the summon.

Lucian, taking refuge behind his summon, began gathering his magical energy in his palms, forcing himself to breathe calmly even as the screeching of the spiders, the blood, and the surrounding magic made the scene increasingly repulsive.

But in his attempt to concentrate, he saw how the spiders flying out began to avoid Shin, landing in different parts of the enormous courtyard and spreading the threat instead of attacking head-on.

The spiders then began to surround the elf, approaching from all directions, advancing through grass, tree debris, and shards of glass, as if trying to close a living trap around him before the next attack.

“I hope this time you actually protect me properly, my friend… I don’t want to go through what happened at Red Mountain again…” Lucian said, then cut his finger using one of his summon’s thorns, and with his blood began drawing symbols on the ground.

“That was 100 years ago, get over it. Not just anyone can defend you against an Obsidian Bear,” Shin replied in a deep voice, not stopping for a second as he watched the creatures advance.

The spiders, now just a few meters away, leapt at high speed trying to catch Lucian with their deformed mouths and twitching legs, as if they wanted to wrap him up before he could finish whatever he was preparing.

But then Shin, with a strike to the ground, made a greenish magic circle glow beneath his feet and around the elf, shaking the grass and the buried roots beneath the entire courtyard.

{{Forest Magic: Man-Impaling Thorns}}

From the ground, long and thick thorns began to emerge, piercing every spider that tried to cross the defense, as if the earth itself responded to the presence of anyone attempting to reach them.

“(Interesting… Not bad for a half-blood…)” thought the assassin from inside the blood bubble, which was shrinking as each spider left the nest and joined the battle in the garden.

At that moment, the spiders stopped throwing themselves suicidally at the elf; all of them began to retreat, and that simple change in behavior was enough for Lucian to know that something worse was coming.

“I don’t think they’re trying to take a breather, Luci… Do you have a plan ready yet?” Shin asked, concerned, watching the spiders begin to devour the corpses of their own sisters with an even more disgusting calm.

“Almost, hold on a bit, don’t be impatient,” Lucian replied, carefully drawing each stroke of blood on the ground, making sure not to ruin the pattern even as the sound of mandibles behind him became unbearable.

The assassin then stepped out of the floating bubble and stood on top of it as if the blood were a stable floor, observing Lucian from above with the same arrogant calm he had shown from the beginning.

“It’s interesting how you use your twig-controlling abilities… I admit your ingenuity is admirable… But I’m afraid this is where it ends,” he spoke calmly, almost amused, as if the fight still hadn’t required anything serious from him.

The small spiders, having finished devouring their sisters, began to grow rapidly, swelling their bodies, stretching their legs, and making their mouths even more grotesque as they absorbed all that flesh and blood.

“To be honest, I’d like to take more time to see the wonders of your magic… But in any case, Lord Xavier will be upset if I take too long, so…” the assassin said, downplaying the situation.

The spiders, now the size of large dogs, began weaving and weaving around Lucian and Shin, moving in precise circles as they filled the courtyard with reddish strands crossing over one another.

The bloody, shining web began to take shape until the entire courtyard was completely covered in red silk, the garden’s sky blocked by a viscous mesh that reflected light in a sickening way.

“It was fun playing with you, half-blood elf.”

The assassin let out a whistle, and the enormous spider that had been sheltering in the mass of blood came out for a stroll, descending slowly like a fat, horrible queen ready to finally end the game.

{{Blood Magic: Digestive Thread Prison}}

The spider, opening its mouth, began to expel thread after thread, just like the smaller spiders, covering the air above the courtyard with a red curtain that descended slowly and deliberately.

Each thread floated delicately in the air above the elf’s head and descended slowly; a fly crossed through for an instant and was instantly corroded, making it clear that even brushing them was not an option.

“This better be a good plan, I don’t think I can hold this much longer…” Shin said, then covered Lucian with his own body, planting his root-like feet into the ground to avoid giving any ground.

“It’s finally ready!” the elf shouted as the threads fell over the area; some were stopped by the tree-man’s body, while others remained just inches away from touching the final strokes of the symbol he was finishing.

The oak endured, but little by little it gave ground to the threads, creaking under the weight of corrosion and pressure, as if even such a sturdy summon could not withstand much longer.

Until suddenly, a pale green fire began to burn each of the threads; little by little, it spread throughout the entire area, covering Shin and Lucian alike.

{{Spiritual Magic X Forest Magic:}}

{{Incendiary Spirits}}

From the fire emerged small fireflies made of pure spiritual power; they were tiny and fluttered around the forest companions.

They rose from the ground as the small spirits, upon contact with the blood threads, finished setting them ablaze with green fire.

“Nice, huh? This is just getting started, you little piece of shit. Now you’ll see the true power of an elf!” Lucian shouted with a confident smile and a sharp gaze.

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