Betrayal

Reid had also come to his senses by now and walked over to the women.

The four-member party was assembled once again.

He first cast a heavy look at the Gloom Spider, then asked Shanna, “Shanna, how much mana do you have left? Can you cast an area-of-effect fire spell? I have a plan.”

Shanna, who had just finished drinking a low-grade mana potion, replied, “I've only recovered thirty percent. If it's a large-scale fire spell, I can only cast it once. Damn it, the effect of these low-grade mana potions is just too poor.”

Because she had never run out of mana during previous missions, she had only prepared a few cheap, low-grade mana potions for emergencies.

Reid frowned, a trace of displeasure crossing his handsome face, before he said,

“Alright. In a moment, you will create a fire field to confine the Gloom Spider within a certain area. Kathleen, you'll interfere with the magical beast from the perimeter. Sheena, you go and draw its attention to create an opening for me. Just like when we subjugated the crack-rock bear last time, I'll finish this spider off with my Heaven Flight Slash.”

“No problem!”

Seeing that no one had any objections, Reid declared, “Then, let the operation begin!”

Shanna went first. Clad in her mucus-soaked clothes, she yelled in fury, “Your death is next! Fire Magic—Flame Domain!”

A long serpent made of fire emerged from the tip of her staff. Sensing a great threat, the Gloom Spider let out a sharp screech from its mouthparts, preparing to dodge the fire snake.

However, the fire snake's target was not the spider itself. Instead, it circled around the beast, forming a ring of fire that enclosed it.

Furthermore, the temperature inside the circle was rapidly rising, causing the Gloom Spider to screech continuously.

It bent its legs slightly, preparing to leap onto the ceiling to escape the scorching flames.

But just as it leaped into midair, a sharp cry of “Don't even think about it!” rang out, followed by an arrow wrapped in lightning shooting rapidly toward it.

Struck by the arrow, the Gloom Spider fell back into the Flame Domain. Moreover, its limbs felt slightly numb, preventing it from jumping to the ceiling again anytime soon.

Filled with impatience, its sharp mouthparts unleashed another piercing screech, a sound so sharp and thin that it could easily pierce the eardrums of an ordinary person like a needle.

It then glared at Reid and the other three. Its eight crimson eyes locked onto them before it suddenly lunged forward in a fierce charge.

“Your opponent is me!”

Sheena, the tall woman with her hair tied in a ponytail, raised her shield and leapt into the Flame Domain, blocking the Gloom Spider's charge for her teammates.

As the spider's sharp limbs slammed against her shield, Sheena felt a massive force surge against her. She was nearly sent flying, and a complex look flashed through her eyes.

Steeling herself, she gritted her teeth and locked in a stalemate with the Gloom Spider.

Finally, Reid gripped his longsword with both hands. As the mana within him circulated, an invisible wind blew his bangs into the air, and the sword in his hands erupted with a dazzling white light.

“Sheena! Out of the way! Heaven Flight Slash!”

Reid rushed into the Flame Domain with his longsword in hand, shouting to warn his teammate.

Sheena stopped her struggle with the spider. Releasing her force, she rode the momentum to leap backward, adjusting her position in midair to ensure she wouldn't get in Reid's way.

At the same time, her face filled with hope, she yelled, “Go, Reid!”

“Charge, Reid!”

“Reid! You can do it!”

Behind him, Shanna and Kathleen's excited, expectant voices echoed. Hearing their words, a surge of powerful energy welled up in Reid's heart.

Charging toward the Gloom Spider with his longsword radiating a blinding white light, Reid's gaze was resolute.

“Heaven Flight Slash!!!”

He aimed directly for the Gloom Spider's head, the most vulnerable spot on its entire body!

Clang—!

The Gloom Spider extended four of its legs to protect its head. The longsword struck the spider's needle-like legs, producing a sharp, lingering metallic screech.

Sharp and piercing!

Reid gritted his teeth, wrestling for dominance against the Gloom Spider, determined to land this fatal strike. Feeling the massive force pushing against him, Reid roared,

“Break for me—!!!”

The collision generated a powerful blast of air, causing the surrounding flames to flare up, and the spider's screeching grew even more piercing.

The three women looked at Reid's back with hope. Remembering his confident smile when they first entered the labyrinth and his usual pride, it seemed to tell them:

However...

In the next instant, harsh reality shattered their hopes. The Flame Domain ruptured, the fire died out, and Reid was sent flying backward like a ragdoll.

Reid was sent flying...

He flew backward and crashed heavily into the ground right in front of Shanna and Kathleen, leaving a human-shaped crater. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, his blond hair was disheveled, and his face was covered in cuts and bruises.

His eyes were filled with intense disbelief, and he kept muttering to himself,

“No, impossible... How could it be this weak? The power of Heaven Flight Slash... Impossible, this is absolutely not the true power of Heaven Flight Slash.”

Reid scrambled up from the ground in a sorry state. Looking at the massive Gloom Spider not far away, fear crept into his heart for the first time.

He quietly glanced at the women beside him, then forced himself to appear calm as he said,

“Let's try again. Shanna doesn't have enough mana to use magic right now. Sheena, you draw its attention. Kathleen and I will support and interfere from the side. Once Shanna recovers her mana, she'll lead the attack this time!”

Sheena nodded without saying anything. Other than running away, this was indeed the best plan they had.

“Ugly monster, your opponent is me.”

Sheena proactively stepped forward with her shield to taunt the beast. Clearly provoked, the Gloom Spider moved its massive body and lunged at her.

Sheena gritted her teeth again, struggling to withstand the immense force coming from the front, and shouted,

“I've blocked it! Shanna, seize the chance to recover your mana! Reid, Kathleen, quickly go and distract the Gloom Spider!”

However, no one responded to her. The area behind her was dreadfully quiet.

“Kathleen? Shanna? Reid?”

Hearing no reply from behind, Sheena called out urgently once more, her voice carrying a trace of panic and a slight tremor.

Silence.

There was still nothing but silence behind her. Distracted by her rising panic, Sheena lost her footing against the spider and was sent flying backward once again.

“Ah!”

She crashed heavily onto the ground. Before she could even process the pain, she immediately lifted her head to scan her surroundings, only to find the area completely empty.

Her teammates' figures had completely vanished.

They had betrayed her. They had abandoned her!

Sheena lay powerlessly on the ground. After several intense clashes, she had no strength left.

The Gloom Spider slowly approached her and spat out a web, gradually wrapping her up.

Feeling the sticky sensation covering her body, Charles's face somehow flashed through her mind. A tragic smile appeared on her delicate face.

Thinking back on all the anomalies of today, she finally understood. It wasn't that Charles never cast spells; he had been casting spells all along, which was why they had been so strong.

That was why they were so incredibly weak during their very first mission after losing Charles!

In fact, she had suspected this long ago, as she had occasionally noticed unusual things about Charles. However, she had never investigated, choosing instead to let her teammates continue misunderstanding him.

She had always hesitated over whether to help Charles, hesitating and hesitating, right up until the day he was kicked out.

Tears silently slid down the corners of her eyes. Gradually, her body was wrapped by the Gloom Spider's web into a cocoon. The Gloom Spider then carried her back to its nest, intending to feed her to its offspring.

Thus, the battle between the Tier Four, Rank Three frenzied Gloom Spider and Reid's Sword of Assault party—consisting of two Tier Four, Rank Three and two Tier Four, Rank One members—concluded with three fleeing and one captured.

Meanwhile, in a dark, oppressive space.

Blood.

It was filled with dark red blood.

The original color of the ground was no longer visible; the congealed plasma of blood had laid a thick, dark red carpet over the floor.

With his black hair and black eyes, Xia De stood in the center, holding Starfall as he stared at the magical beasts surrounding him.

They were ants, each about the size of an adult human. Their colors were varied and their shapes bizarre, but without exception...

...every single one of them exuded an aura of at least Tier Four, Rank Seven!!!