The Weaver

This was a long underground tunnel, a natural cave bearing distinct traces of human modification.

Gravel embedded in the rocky walls gave off a faint green fluorescence, while icy droplets of water dripped from above, their rhythmic tapping echoing far down into the depths of the tunnel.

Everything around was stark white. Dense cobwebs layered over one another, blanketing the tunnel walls in a thick shroud. From time to time, tiny silhouettes darted across the webs before vanishing back into the white ocean.

Click-clack, click-clack, click-clack.

From the darkness above came the occasional sound of carapaces striking rock. Massive shadowy shapes drifted just out of sight, accompanied by intermittent rustling and scuttling noises.

Following the dark tunnel deeper, it opened up into an underground cavern. Wide and flat, its ceiling was covered in dense patches of mushrooms glowing with an eerie green light, bathing the entire cave in a bizarre, sinister luminescence.

Beneath this uncanny glow, a tall figure strode into the cavern. No matter how grotesque the surroundings were, her steps remained firm, without the slightest hesitation.

As if disturbed, tens of thousands of spiderlings surged from between the mushrooms and webs on the ground, swarming toward the intruder.

“Authority: Protection. Ability: Barrier.”

The female officer lightly tapped the tip of her sword against the ground, causing a ring of light to appear around her feet. The tide of spiderlings surged toward her from all sides, but the moment they drew near the luminous circle, they scrambled back in haste as if encountering their natural predator.

“Jeremy, I know you're here. Come out.”

Her spine remained straight as an unsheathed blade, one hand resting on the hilt of her sword, her gaze piercing like a knife toward the darkness at the center of the cavern.

“It has been a long time, Officer Angel.”

A figure stepped into the green light. He was rather tall but exceedingly obese, his waist and belly so round that he resembled a giant water barrel. The fat man was dressed in aristocratic attire common centuries ago, topped with a curled wig. He looked like an ordinary human, yet amidst such grotesque surroundings, he remained completely unhurried. Hands tucked behind his back, he strolled forward leisurely and nodded to Officer Natalie.

“It really is you, Jeremy. The case involving Martha's family two years ago should have made me realize that your Thorn Flower is actually a stronghold for cultists who worship the Abyss Weaver, and you are the leader of those madmen.”

“Hehe, that little girl was a rare manifestation vessel. It truly was a pity that we failed to make her the container for my Lord's descent.” A look of genuine regret appeared on his round face, as though they were not discussing something profoundly evil. “Still, it was thanks to you, Officer, for believing my explanation back then and not pressing us too hard, allowing us to continue serving my Lord. I truly am immensely grateful.”

As he spoke, his rotund body gave an elegant bow.

“Hmph, it's not too late to hold you accountable now. I won't fall for your tricks this time. Sending people carrying mystery relics to incite chaos at Crown Square—that crime alone is enough to have you executed. Over a hundred innocent lives... is that what your spider master desired?”

“Hehe, naturally. Over a hundred delicious souls make for the finest refreshment amidst my Lord's busy work.”

The obese Jeremy clapped his hands. The darkness behind him stirred, and two giant spiders crawled out, dragging an ornate chair to place behind him. He lowered his gargantuan bulk into the seat, smiling with apparent benevolence:

“When someone is willing to offer them to my Lord, why should we refuse?”

“Who told you to do it? Speak.”

“Hehe, the Railway Workers’ Union, of course. Who else could more conveniently orchestrate such an enticing sacrifice? This was an act committed by your fellow humans in pursuit of their own interests. Why must you blame it on us, Officer?”

Jeremy spread his hands with an innocent expression, speaking with exaggerated helplessness:

“To advance their railway project and bore through the Carlos Mountain Range to realize their plans, they not only organized that protest to strike at the opposition, but also orchestrated this atrocious incident to fabricate a massive disaster. Having made preparations beforehand, they established a pact with my Lord, offering the lives of everyone who died at the square as sacrifices in exchange for my Lord's aid.”

“A soul sacrifice to the Weaver...” Officer Natalie's face turned livid. “Not only did you murder them, but you wouldn't even spare their souls.”

“What else? Everything must be put to good use, hehehe.”

“You...” His dismissive tone made the female officer grit her teeth. Suppressing her fury, she demanded, “What did they want the Abyss Weaver to do for them? Find those four mystery relics?”

“Four mystery relics? Oh, you could say that, but that was actually done by us servants. It hardly counts as my Lord's assistance—merely a necessary component of the process.”

Jeremy waved to the side. Several pedipalps extended from the darkness behind him, bearing three bundles. Jeremy took the bundles and tossed them directly beside Officer Natalie, chuckling:

“Here they are. You must have already retrieved the other one, Officer. Allow me to congratulate you, hehe. You have successfully found all four murder weapons and identified the true culprits behind the massacre and the sacrifice to an evil god. A true paragon among Watchers! What are you standing there for? Celebrate!”

With that, he began to clap. From the darkness behind him came the rhythmic clicking of countless pedipalps, as if an innumerable swarm of spiders was clapping along with him in celebration.

Officer Natalie's expression darkened further. Staring vigilantly at Jeremy, she said in a low voice, “If not finding these relics, then what was the Weaver's assistance? Would you really confess everything so easily?”

“My Lord's assistance? To safeguard the secret, of course,” Jeremy said with a broad smile. “To ensure absolute secrecy, they wished to utilize my Lord's authority to guard their secret, guaranteeing that no one would ever discover what they did at the square. For my Lord, this is hardly a difficult task—merely a bit of extra weaving work, granted as a reward for their offerings.”

“Safeguard the secret? Safeguard it by doing what you are doing now?”

“Hehe, if I did not make things crystal clear to you, how could the secret truly be safeguarded?”

Jeremy spread his hands and said leisurely:

“Weaving webs is my Lord's nature: to weave the secrets of the mortal world into the web of dreams. Anyone who catches a glimpse of a corner of this secret will, like a flying insect brushing against a spiderweb, immediately draw my Lord's gaze and be dragged down into the dark abyss. Those railway workers who carried out the task sought their own deaths by prying into this secret; they should be dead by now. A few days ago, a hillman pried into these relics. Because he touched upon so little of the secret, he might not be entirely dead yet, but he is close. And now, Officer, it is your turn. Congratulations on uncovering this secret—and congratulations, your soul has now become my Lord's prey.”

Officer Natalie pressed her lips together, her hand tight against the hilt of her sword. A profoundly unsettling dread had enveloped her body moments ago. In the deep darkness, countless despairing, eerie gazes seemed to fixate on her every move, as though the most terrifying hunter were creeping silently toward her, baring its fatal fangs.

Waves of discomfort washed through her body, and a faint itching began to crawl across her skin. Jeremy's sinister smile radiated delight and madness, yet Officer Natalie showed no panic. Instead, a cold smile crept onto her face.

“For the sake of little Martha's family, I've spent the past two years studying your spider master. Naturally, I understand its authority and nature. Though its authority is not widely known to the public, to me, it is no secret. There is a loophole in its authority: only those who investigate and uncover the truth themselves become the Weaver's prey. If the truth is learned indirectly—for example, if the person who uncovers the truth makes it public so that others learn of it—those who learn it second-hand will not be affected by the Weaver.”

Jeremy's smile stiffened, though he quickly regained his composure. “So that was your plan. No wonder you have been constantly stimulating your soul power ever since learning the truth.”

“As long as I endure long enough to make the truth public before I die, all of your deeds will be exposed.” The female officer closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, a giant golden balance hovered behind her. “Now, I, Natalie Angel, on behalf of the Watchers in the Wheatfield, declare war upon you.”

Clang! Her sword leaped from its scabbard, pointing straight at Jeremy on his chair.

At that moment, countless giant spiders emerged from the corners of the cavern. With bluish-purple bodies and black pedipalps covered in bristles, each creature stood taller than an adult human. Waving eight long legs and opening blood-red, human-like eyes, they scuttled toward the officer with a chorus of clicks and clacks.

“I do hope you will struggle to your heart's content, hehe. Every insect caught in a web struggles desperately, but alas, none ever escape.” Jeremy clapped his hands once more. Terrifying rustling sounds arose again from the shadows surrounding the cave, creeping closer from every direction. “We love watching our prey struggle until the bitter end, right up until they are tightly wrapped. I hope you will provide us with a splendid performance, Officer Angel.”

Hiss—

Innumerable giant spiders reared their upper bodies and raised their pedipalps, shrill wheezing venting from the spiracles on their abdomens like the overture of some horrific bell. An instant later, the swarm surged violently forward, rushing toward Officer Natalie like a tidal wave.

Facing the ocean of spiders, the female officer remained composed. Dropping to one knee with her sword planted in the ground, she rested her forehead against the pommel and whispered softly. The giant balance in midair grew increasingly solid, a majestic aura radiating from it as three luminous orbs representing authorities orbited the balance, all lighting up simultaneously.

“I shall become a shield, defending the weak with my life; my arms shall ever be turned against the mighty foe.”

The shield-shaped orb of light blazed with brilliance, transforming into an arrow of radiance that sank between the officer's eyebrows. Simultaneously, every spider charging toward her seemed to hit an invisible wall, their carapaces shattering as they tumbled into tangled heaps.

“I shall uphold the law, maintaining Order with my life, swearing to fight evil unto the end.”

The orb bearing the sigil of a book suddenly expanded. Its pages fluttered rapidly without any wind, and with every turn, countless words seemed to burrow into Officer Natalie's body, imbuing her every movement with boundless power and cloaking her in endless majesty.

“I shall become a sword, defying Chaos with my life; wherever Order reaches, I shall be invincible.”

A wooden gavel descended from the heavens, passing through the officer's body to strike the ground before shrinking and gradually merging into the sword in her grip. As the gavel faded, the sword began to shimmer, a biting chill radiating from its blade.

Exhaling a breath of turbid air, Officer Natalie stood up. She gazed calmly at the countless hideous spiders and slowly raised the edge of her blade.

“Now then, monsters, let me show you the power of a Soul Severer unleashing her full might.”

With that, the golden balance behind her shattered with a resounding crash. As though drawn by an unseen force, the shower of light rained down and sank entirely into Officer Natalie's body, causing her form to radiate a billion rays of brilliance for a fleeting instant.

Bathed in radiance, the officer wore a cold smile. Under Jeremy's tense, astonished gaze, she took a gentle step forward.

Boom!

Her movement had been light, yet the impact was colossal.

A violent tremor rippled outward in a circle from where her foot had landed.

It was not merely the ground trembling—the entire space was shaking.

An invisible shockwave swept outward in an instant, knocking every spider nearby off balance and sending those clinging to the ceiling plummeting down. For a moment, complete chaos reigned throughout the cavern.

Hmph.

Her lips curled in a mocking sneer. Capitalizing on the spiders' confusion, the officer gripped the hilt with both hands and drove the glowing sword fiercely into the ground.

“Only Order is the cornerstone that sustains the world; only Order can bring the light of hope to this world.”

As the blade sank into the earth, person and sword blazed with blinding light. Centered on her and her blade, an intense radiance filled the entire cavern within a breath. Every nook and cranny was illuminated in crystal clarity. Bathed in the scorching brilliance, countless horrific spiders writhed their massive, grotesque limbs frantically, attempting to flee from the light.

Yet none could escape the light.

Pure, holy, and scorching, it was the natural bane of all evil.

Confronted by their mortal nemesis, the spiders summoned every ounce of their remaining strength to cluster tightly around the obese Jeremy, shielding him in their midst. Beneath the radiance of Order, billowing red mist poured from more and more spiders as their forms grew increasingly translucent, eventually returning to the memories of the Dreamlands. The surviving spiders squeezed even tighter around Jeremy, leaving not a single gap.

Five seconds. Ten seconds. Fifteen seconds.

The female officer's expression suddenly shifted. Pulling her sword from the ground while the spiders were occupied by the lingering afterglow of Order, she pointed her blade forward and transformed into a streak of light, darting back toward the tunnel from which she had come.

Hiss—

Relieved of the oppressive pressure, the spiders behind her let out frenzied hisses. Disregarding the red mist still rising from their bodies, they gave chase relentlessly after her retreating figure.

Yet after the baptism of Order's light, not a single spider remained in her path; the way ahead was completely clear.

Even as her skin felt increasingly excruciating—as though something were swelling to burst from beneath—the officer gritted her teeth and endured the agonizing itch, sprinting toward the exit with all her might.

Just hold on for a few more minutes. As long as I can spread the truth, I will die content. Hold on, Natalie. This is the final step to success.

Yet just moments before she could take that final step, the scuttling and hissing of the spiders behind her abruptly ceased.

Officer Natalie's heart sank as a bizarre, immense pressure materialized out of nowhere behind her.

It was an uncanny pressure beyond mortal comprehension. The moment she felt it, her body went limp, and she pitched forward powerlessly.

As she fell, she seemed to glimpse a vision of herself suspended over an endless abyss, eight blood-red eyes slowly rising from its depths. Behind those crimson eyes, a mountain-sized shadowy silhouette loomed, drawing closer and closer to her.

It was merely a sensation—unseen by eyes, unheard by ears—yet so eerie and horrifying that it plunged her into bottomless despair. The power of a mortal was as minuscule as that of an insect; before this soul-deep terror, she could only sink powerlessly into the abyss.

The Abyss Weaver had found its prey.