Chapter 239: Spider-centaur
The Spider-Centaur exploded into motion.
Its eight legs propelled it across the frozen ground in a blur of silver and steel. Its four blades carved intersecting arcs through the air—a high slash from the upper right, a low thrust from the lower left, a sweeping cut from the upper left, a reverse grip stab from the lower right. All four attacks arrived within a heartbeat of each other.
Kaito sidestepped the high slash and parried the low thrust. The upper left cut whistled past his ear. The reverse stab grazed his ribs. He spun away, his own blade flashing in a counter that the Spider-Centaur blocked without looking, one of its four arms redirecting his strike into the path of another.
Arthur entered the fight from the opposite side. His sword blazed with golden light as he brought it down in an overhead cleave. The Spider-Centaur crossed two blades to catch the strike, then used the other two to counter-attack—one thrust at Arthur’s throat, one slash at his legs. Arthur twisted, deflecting the thrust and jumping over the slash, but the Spider-Centaur had already followed up with a spinning kick from one of its spider legs that caught him in the chest and sent him skidding backward.
Kaito and Arthur exchanged a glance. They attacked together—Kaito from the left, Arthur from the right, their blades moving in perfect synchronization. The Spider-Centaur met them with all four arms, parrying, redirecting, countering. Metal clashed against metal in a continuous ringing rhythm. The creature’s upper body twisted and flowed like water, its four blades never still, never predictable. It fought like a warrior who had spent centuries perfecting the art of killing.
---
Garrett fought through the swarm of Silver Spiders.
Red charged beside him, horns lowered, wool fully hardened. They slammed into a cluster of spiders, scattering them. Volcan erupted, the thermal pulse melting through two of them. A third lunged from the side. Red intercepted, its horns catching the spider mid-air and flinging it into a tree.
A web shot toward Garrett’s legs. He jumped, the metal fibers slicing through the space where he’d been standing. He landed and swung Volcan in a wide arc, crushing another spider.
The swarm was relentless. For every spider they killed, two more took its place. The Spider-Centaur’s command over them was absolute—they moved like extensions of its will, herding the Climbers, cutting off escape routes, driving them toward the webs.
Garrett smashed another spider. Then another. Red trampled a third. They were holding their ground, but barely.
---
Elise raised Aurora’s Heart.
The Frost Golem slammed its fists into the ground. A wave of ice spread outward, freezing the webs, freezing the spiders’ legs, freezing everything in a wide radius. The Silver Spiders slowed. Some stopped entirely, their joints locked by frost.
𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚
Arthur took advantage. He charged through the frozen swarm, his sword blazing. Each swing shattered a dozen frozen spiders. He cut a path toward the Spider-Centaur, clearing the way for the others.
Kaito followed, his blade flashing. Long Wei and Han Seo-jun flanked, their attacks precise and deadly. Amara’s spirits swirled around the battlefield, whispering to the Silver Spiders, breaking the Spider-Centaur’s control one insect at a time.
The Spider-Centaur spun more webs. The metal fibers shot outward in all directions, forcing the Climbers to dodge and weave. A lesser Climber was caught. The fibers cut through his armor like paper. He screamed.
Dillon and Cloudy dove toward him. Cloudy’s static discharge burned through the webs. Dillon cut the remaining fibers with Thunder Edge. The Climber was freed, but he was badly wounded. Two of the lesser team members dragged him to safety.
---
Nathan analyzed with Hunter’s Insight.
The Spider-Centaur’s swordsmanship was flawless. Its four arms moved independently, each blade tracing its own deadly pattern. It parried Kaito’s strikes while countering Arthur’s, while simultaneously spinning webs and commanding the swarm. It was fighting on four fronts at once, and it was winning.
But its focus was divided. The webs, the swarm, the four blades—it was managing everything. If they could overload it, force it to focus on too many threats at once, something would slip.
"Amara! Can your spirits blind it?"
Amara nodded. She raised her staff. The spirits surged forward, wrapping around the Spider-Centaur’s head. They didn’t attack—they just obscured its vision, a cloud of translucent shapes that flickered and shifted.
The Spider-Centaur’s blades faltered. Just for a moment.
Kaito struck. His sword carved across the creature’s chest, cracking the armor. Arthur followed with a thrust that pierced through the crack. The Spider-Centaur staggered.
But it didn’t fall.
It spun—a full rotation, its four blades sweeping outward in a wide arc. Kaito and Arthur were forced back. Long Wei took a blade to the shoulder and was thrown into a tree. Han Seo-jun barely dodged, the tip of a blade slicing across his arm.
---
Garrett saw an opening.
A lone Silver Spider had separated from the swarm, cut off by Elise’s ice. It was wounded, its legs moving slowly. Garrett charged it, Volcan raised. The mace came down, crushing its core.
[Ding! Level Up!]
[Ding! New Skill Unlocked: Symbiotic Armour — Merge with your summon to form a full-body armored suit. Duration: limited. Cooldown: significant.]
Garrett stared at the notification. Then at Red. The Mad-Sheep looked back at him, its four black eyes steady.
"Merge with you?"
Red bleated.
Garrett took a breath. "Let’s do it."
He activated the skill.
Red dissolved into crimson light. The light flowed around Garrett, wrapping around his body like a second skin. When it faded, Garrett was encased in armor—bulky, powerful, crimson plates that covered him from head to toe. The armor pulsed with Red’s energy. He could feel the Mad-Sheep’s strength flowing through him, its instincts merging with his own.
He raised Volcan. The mace glowed with crimson light.
"Let’s go."
---
Garrett charged the Spider-Centaur.
The creature turned, its four blades ready. Garrett swung Volcan. The mace collided with two blades—and shattered them. The Spider-Centaur staggered.
Garrett didn’t stop. He swung again. Another blade shattered. The Spider-Centaur was down to one blade. It tried to spin webs. Garrett’s armored fist grabbed the fibers and tore them apart.
"The armor!" Nathan called. "Webs can’t touch it!"
Elise froze the Spider-Centaur’s legs. Arthur and Kaito attacked from the front. Long Wei and Han Seo-jun struck from the sides. Amara’s spirits held it in place.
Garrett charged. Volcan blazed. He slammed the mace into the Spider-Centaur’s chest. The armor cracked. The creature stumbled.
Nathan charged Focus Shot. Sixty seconds. He released. The arrow struck the crack, driving deep.
The Spider-Centaur froze.
Then it collapsed.
---
The creature dissolved into motes of pale light. The Silver Spiders scattered, their commander gone. The raid party caught its breath.
Garrett’s armor faded. Red materialized beside him, panting. Garrett dropped to one knee.
"That was..."
He trailed off.
"Incredible," Dillon said. "You merged with your sheep."
"Weird," Garrett admitted. "But effective."
Nathan helped him up. "That armor turned the tide."
Garrett nodded. "I know."
The lesser teams tended to the wounded. The civilians were safe. The path forward was clear—a passage leading deeper into the Tower.
Arthur approached Nathan. "Your party’s full of surprises."
"We try."
"Second layer’s waiting. Let’s move."