That was the pressure of the soul, the terror born of instinct.
A mortal soul has no power to resist when facing a higher existence.
It has nothing to do with courage, nor with strength.
When one perceives that mysterious will beyond common sense, the act of perception itself becomes the source of danger, bringing with it a powerful shock.
Even with an incredibly strong will, the officer’s mind went blank under the intense impact; her muscles went limp, and she collapsed to the ground.
She was only one step away from the tunnel.
The light and power within her had faded. Though her sword remained in her hand, she no longer had the strength to wield it.
The shock to her soul left her body paralyzed, stuck fast by the cobwebs on the ground and walls, unable to move.
The visions of the abyss and red eyes vanished in a flash. As soon as she hit the ground, her vision returned to normal.
It was still the same green-lit underground space, the same dark cavern covered in webs.
Yet, none of the monsters pursued her. Instead, they huddled far away in a pile, watching the officer—who looked like a fly trapped in a web—with caution. Or rather, they were watching the empty space not far in front of her, not daring to come any closer.
There was nothing there, yet the space seemed distorted by some force, forming an invisible vortex.
Deep within the vortex, a twisted gaze seemed to emerge, carrying a nearly tangible, terrifying pressure. It locked onto Officer Natalie, making her feel like a fly trapped in a spider’s web. The crushing force made it difficult for her to breathe.
At the same time, an incomprehensible, bizarre suction emanated from it. While her body remained stuck to the webs, her soul felt as if it were being pulled by a tremendous force, on the verge of being ripped from her body and sucked into the vortex.
"Praise the Lord, praise the great Abyss Weaver."
Seeming to sense that gaze, Jeremy knelt down quickly, and the giant spiders retracted their eight long legs, prostrating themselves. Jeremy kissed the ground several times before standing up and shouting aloud:
"It seems your fate is sealed, Officer. Your soul will be dragged into the abyss by my lord’s web to become a nursery for its offspring, and your flesh will incubate them into this world, only to be eaten clean by the newborns. What a pity you didn't bring other Watchers with you, sparing them the fate of feeding the brood with their souls."
The officer ignored him. Her gaze never left the vortex. The terrifying sight became increasingly tangible, and the suction grew stronger; her soul felt as though it could be completely sucked into the vortex at any moment.
Even if I am to die, I will die while struggling. Don't think you can make me wait for death obediently.
The officer did not remember where she had heard those words, but she bit her lip hard, resisting the powerful pressure. Using her last bit of strength to break her arm free from the webs, she raised her sword toward the vortex.
Come on, I'm not afraid of you.
The evil gaze within the vortex remained the same, growing even stronger. The entity inside seemed to have no intention of waiting any longer, and a twisted, eerie power silently spread out from the vortex.
It moved slowly but incessantly, as if to leave its prey enough time to enjoy the despair and terror before death.
"Hahaha, it is the will of the Lord. Be afraid, struggle, you fly in the web. Unfortunately, no fly can ever escape the grasp of my lord."
"Really? I don't believe it."
A light suddenly flared in the darkness, illuminating the entire cavern.
A ball of fiercely burning humanoid flame raced over, dragging a trail of fire as it rushed out of the tunnel. Along the way, the cobwebs were ignited one after another, erupting into a roaring blaze.
The fire soared to the sky. The tiny spiders in the webs fled in a panic as if the apocalypse had arrived, and the giant spiders were forced back by the scorching flames. The humanoid flame dragged its trail of fire all the way to Natalie before stopping abruptly, turning, and kneeling on one knee, slamming a fist into the ground.
Whoosh.
Fire erupted from the point of impact, transforming into a crescent-shaped wall of flames that surged forward, creating a blazing barrier between Natalie and the spider swarm, temporarily blocking them.
As the wall of fire erupted, the humanoid flame extinguished, revealing a man in a formal suit kneeling on one knee.
The man ignored the swarms of spiders. He stood up, brushed the cobwebs off his clothes, took off his top hat, and pressed it to his chest. He turned to the officer lying on the ground and bowed slightly: "Ms. Natalie Angel, I am late."
The officer fell into a trance for a moment.
Reason had led her to keep everyone in the dark and risk it alone, because anyone who followed would suffer the same fate of certain death.
But beyond reason, there was always a glimmer of hope in her heart.
If only someone would find out. If only someone could come to save me. If only someone could face this danger with me.
I don't want to die yet.
However, she never expected that someone would actually appear.
And it was you.
Lynch Levive.
A soft emotion suddenly rose in her hardened heart, and warmth seemed to gather at the corners of her eyes. But the terrifying aura erupting from the vortex snapped her awake, and she shouted sharply: "Why did you come here? It's dangerous! Leave quickly!"
"Someone still owes me two conditions, and I was afraid she would go back on her word and never return, so I came to drag her back." Lynch moved sideways, using his body to block the space between the officer and the vortex. "Unfortunately, I heard the truth too. We are both its prey now. We live and die together."
Under Natalie’s apologetic gaze, Lynch placed her hat on her head. He then rose abruptly and walked toward the power extending from the vortex.
"Don't forget I have an ace up my sleeve. I don't think it can kill us both today. If we actually survive, remember that you owe me three favors."
With that, Lynch straightened his suit and suddenly accelerated.
As if sensing the provocation, the gaze within the vortex suddenly became solid. An indescribable, twisted will, carrying a mysterious filth that caused hallucinations to flood Lynch’s brain, poured out from the vortex and launched an assault on him.
Lynch’s expression was bizarre. Before that will could reach him, he showed a subtle smile and pulled open his shirt to reveal his chest.
Over his heart, a dark red eye pattern was emitting a strange aura.
"I’ve come to deliver a meal." Sensing that indescribable will, Lynch gritted his teeth and gripped the moon pendant on his chest, charging forward without dodging. His expression was filled with reckless madness: "I hope this feast doesn't break your spider fangs."
In the deep unknown, a hissing sound like air escaping a spider’s spiracles seemed to echo in his ears, and then Lynch collided head-on with the indescribable will.
Time seemed to stand still in that moment.
Perhaps it was an illusion, but he seemed to see a fleeting image: a massive, human-bodied, spider-bellied giant emerging from the darkness, colliding head-on with a toad-like, human-faced monster crouching behind him.
Boom.
Rate on N.U.
