The stained glass shattered with a bang, its glittering fragments reflecting halos of blue and violet.
The Drider's enormous shadow blocked their view. It swung down to the floor on a strand of webbing and swept its longsword through two Drow necks, yet its vicious gaze remained fixed on Tang amid the crowd.
"Human!"
Whether it hated Tang for having bewitched its mind or was simply obeying its mother's command, it had already leaped before the only human there, driving the gleam of its blade toward his eyes.
"Silver Tongue!"
Tang dodged to the right, the blade barely sliding past his shoulder. Turning, he raised the Lute like a heavy baseball bat and swung it through a flash of silver, smashing it into the Drider's leg.
The explosive bang echoed throughout the Temple, drawing a howl even from the Drider. It tried to drag its blade around, but azure electricity had already climbed over the hilt and its wrist, crackling as its movements faltered.
At some point, a blue-green target had appeared on its chest.
Whoosh—
Two poisoned arrows struck its throat and heart in an instant, piercing its flesh and stiffening its body further.
But that was not enough to kill it. Its glands sprayed cloudy strands of webbing that spread into a tightly interwoven net in midair, instantly covering the space above Tang and the Drow.
"Fire Control!" Violet flames streamed from above the Temple doors, flowing through the air in a beam that burned a hole through the web before Tang, allowing everyone to scramble through the opening.
Night Wind hurled his two daggers, driving them precisely into the Drider's eyes. With arrows lodged in its throat, it could produce only a hoarse roar.
Using the hard armor of its legs as a foothold, Nightingale leaped onto