Volume Three: The Academy Goes Completely Berserk - The Spider's Sorrow

In the sky, I flapped my Flame Wings and flew at high speed; while near the ground, the Sick Spider was moving like Peter Parker, pulled by silver threads. Although it was swinging back and forth, its speed was surprisingly fast, almost catching up with me.

"What's wrong, Aunt Spider? You were just acting all fearless, ready to fight me to the death, and now you're backing down?"

"Nonsense! I don't want to be fertilizer for that lump of iron! And what did you just call me? 'Auntie'?"

"You can't judge people's ages by their appearance! You look like you're in your twenties, but who knows how old you really are!"

"Say that again and I'll kill you!"

"Come give it a try!"

"You bastard!"

As I fled, I engaged in a war of words with the Sick Spider. This wasn't some scheme or plot; I was simply being a masochist.

Yeah, I just wanted to be a jerk and relieve some of the mental stress of being chased and gnawed by the Boundary Breaking Armor.

"They caught up really fast..."

The Sick Spider turned and released a silver thread. The shimmering silver light was still sharp, but it seemed somewhat weakened, disappearing after severing only about a dozen metal spikes. She frowned. Normally, cutting through a hundred or so metal spikes to clear a large area would be a piece of cake, but now she could only do this much. Her injuries severely limited her attack power!

"You pink-haired girl, if you escape, I'll tear you to pieces!!!"

"Tear me to pieces..." Well, if that phrase came from her mouth, it wouldn't just be an exaggeration; she really could cut me into ten thousand pieces.

"But we have to get out of here first! By the way, why do you hate me so much?"

"None of your business!"

"Jealous that my breasts are bigger than yours?"

Huh?

"Jealous that I'm prettier than you?"

"Are you some third-rate romance novel heroine from somewhere?!"

You mean Mary Sue, right?

"Who is Mary Sue?!"

"It's definitely not you."

"Why is it so frustrating to talk to you! You're just like Kersel in that respect!"

At this point, she suddenly raised an eyebrow and looked at me intently.

"Hey, I'm asking you, what's your relationship with Kasser?"

"Are you talking about Blood Fiend? Sorry, I don't know her."

"Oh, then never mind."

"..." "..."

"... Hey."

"Oops, wait! You're kidding me!!"

It took the Sick Spider a few seconds to realize I'd let something slip, and suddenly I found her kind of adorably silly.

"If you want me to tell you about my relationship with Blood Fiend, you should first tell me about your connection with her! It's only fair!"

Stop trying to be clever! Answer my question properly!

"I am her daughter."

"As expected--Huh!?"

Are you that surprised?

"Huh? No... wait a minute? A daughter? When was she born? Mom... no, Dad... no, still Mom—who is she!?"

"... You really believed that?"

"... Ah! You lied to me again!!!"

"..."

Could this guy actually be quite gullible?

Hey hey... If I had known it would be like this, I wouldn't have needed to fight her to the death. I could have just made up a few lies and acted well enough to fool everyone.

Zheng------!!!

"--!!!"

The millions of metal spikes behind it suddenly accelerated, and the fastest spike broke away from the main force, rushing straight towards the Sick Spider that were closer to the ground!

"Tsk--merely inorganic matter!!"

The Sick Spider, heavily wounded, fought fiercely against the pursuing Boundary Breaking Armor, dozens of spikes shattering amidst a chaotic dance of silver light! But her injuries were too severe; her normally invincible wire-cutting technique was now weak and ineffective, cutting through dozens of metal spikes was already her limit. She gritted her teeth and persevered, forcibly squeezing out her remaining strength to repeatedly shatter and repel the wolf-like metal conglomerate. The scene was so dangerous that even I, her enemy, couldn't help but hold my breath for her!

However, the tiger was ultimately no match for the pack of wolves. Countless metallic spikes swarmed towards her, as if surrounded by countless iron bars! The Sick Spider used all its strength to cleave through a cluster of metallic flowers and leaped out—

Pfft!

The sound of something being shredded, and then--

"Gu--ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!"

The Sick Spider ultimately couldn't escape the encirclement and attack of the Boundary Breaking Armor. A large swarm of metal spikes, reminiscent of kapok flowers, crashed into her, instantly clamping her legs tightly shut! Her slender, beautiful legs were instantly turned into mincemeat amidst the clanging of metal, and the sprayed blood splattered onto the countless metal spikes, where it was immediately sucked into the metal! As long as it was something delicious, the Boundary Breaking Armor wouldn't let go of even a drop of blood!

"Just a... a lump of iron!!!"

The Sick Spider roared and brandished its silver threads, but having suffered another severe injury, it couldn't even cut through the metal spikes! Countless tiny, tooth-like metal shards crawled up its legs, embedding themselves deep into its pale flesh, eroding and sucking away its blood and flesh!

"Damn it! Let go! Let go of me!!!"

Seeing the Sick Spider struggling, covered in blood, even I was horrified. This was definitely one of the most painful things I've ever seen; I probably would have collapsed by now, but she was still struggling desperately, refusing to give up.

Should we save her?

The thought flashed through my mind, and for some reason, I felt a pang of pity for her for a moment, even having the urge to save her. But this impulse was quickly suppressed. Although she looked pitiful, she was still my enemy, and an extremely ruthless one at that, determined to kill me.

It is impossible for people to understand each other.

Therefore, I cannot understand your predicament.

I'm sorry, but for my own safety, I won't save you.

I flapped my Flame Wings to increase my speed, suddenly—

A sudden pull came from my feet, causing me to lose my balance and almost fall from the sky! I looked down and saw a thin silver thread wrapped around my foot, the other end of which was held in the hand of the Sick Spider!

"Stop! Don't... go..."

Her face was now covered in blood, her breathing extremely unstable, and only intermittent groans reached my ears. The silver threads that had slain countless enemies were now useless, even lacking basic cutting capabilities; they could only be used to entangle people like real spider silk. The thin threads tightly bound my ankles, tearing through the skin and digging into my flesh. Although she was already at her limit, if this continued, I would most likely be slowed down and then attacked and killed by the Boundary Breaking Armor!

"Cut--"

I flapped my Flame Wings, but couldn't break free for a while. As the Boundary Breaking Armor drew closer, I stretched out my finger, and a line of blood extended from my fingertip, radiating a slight warmth.

These blood threads are simply condensed blood, and compared to the Flame Cut Bloodline aided by blood vessels, they are very unstable. Once they burst into flames, they are difficult to reshape, greatly reducing their attack power. However, her threads are not as strong as before, so cutting them is not impossible if she tries her best.

"Don't go... stay, come..."

I pressed the health bar against the silver bar, ready to begin the attempt.

"Please... don't leave me... Kasser!"

"--!!"

What... did this guy say?

Is he out of his mind? Did he mistake me for Blood Fiend?

"Why... so heartless...? I... I treated you so well... Waaah..."

"... Tsk!"

The Boundary Breaking Armor had already reached her chest, and she was in a semi-conscious state, beyond saving. Just then, the silver thread wrapped around my ankle began to flicker, barely perceptible, and would soon disappear on its own without me having to cut it.

In that instant, countless thoughts seemed to flash through my mind, yet it also felt like I wasn't thinking about anything at all. I gritted my teeth, and instead of slicing through the silver thread, the bloodline flew towards the Sick Spider!

"Just this once..."

The bloodline connected to her body, and at the instant of connection, the surging vitality of my blood, capable of nourishing Blood Beast, also flowed into her body.

Just this once... I will never again show mercy to the enemy!

Countless metallic clangs rang out as they finally devoured the Sick Spider's body completely, but strangely, my bloodline remained intact. I was puzzled, but I didn't stop channeling my life force. The life force flowed out continuously, but it didn't seem to be absorbed by the Boundary Breaking Armor. Where did it go?

The cluster of metal spikes began to undulate violently, like the peristalsis of intestines. So that's how it is—although the Boundary Breaking Armor is strong, this large cluster of metal spikes is ultimately just a part of it. It's no easy task to swallow such a powerful being as the Sick Spider in one go!

What's even stranger is that if I sense it closely, I can still feel the fluctuations of the Sick Spider's Blood Energy. The majority of the life force flowing within it is what I've been supplying, but a very small portion is definitely her own. Does this mean she's not completely dead? Or is she on the verge of death, in an ambiguous state? Her body has been almost completely eroded...

Suddenly, the other end of the bloodline—the one connected to her—began to move, swimming inward through the heavy metal spikes like a fish in water. Where do the nutrients go after an object corroded by the Boundary Breaking Armor decomposes? I think I've found the answer...

Countless metal spikes opened and closed intermittently. The instant the bloodline reached a certain point, the metal spikes enveloping that spot fully opened, revealing a small, bud-like metal object seated within, ready to absorb the large mass of life force that had just been digested.

It's its Sub Core!!!

At that moment, the metal spikes began to close again. I acted decisively, wrapping the Sub Core with blood threads the instant it closed, and pulled it out with all my might! My action was so sudden that even the Boundary Breaking Armor couldn't react in time. I didn't encounter any resistance when I took out the Sub Core!

Success!

The flying Sub Core landed steadily in my hand, and the Boundary Breaking Armor below emitted a deafening sound, as if countless metal locusts were gnawing at each other! Several extremely thick metal spikes pierced towards me, but they withered halfway through, instantly covered in rust, and fell off on their own just as they were about to catch me, like plants withering.

Starting from this point, the entire mass of metal spikes shrank, losing their former power, and each one ceased to move.

"Call..."

I breathed a sigh of relief. Sure enough, once the Sub Core was removed, the area controlled by Sub Core would collapse on its own. I looked at my "spoils of war." The small metal bud could be completely held in one hand, and its surface shimmered with colorful light; it was quite pretty.

"... Um?"

Upon closer inspection, I discovered that the Blood Energy of Sick Spider emanated from within this Sub Core! The Blood Energy essence of the living and the dead is different; the Blood Energy essence of the dead is heavy and stagnant, while the Blood Energy of the Sick Spider flows continuously—this is clearly the Blood Energy of the living!

Is she still alive?

Previously, I had been supplying her with life force through the bloodline, and she remained in this peculiar state of "life remaining even though the physical body is destroyed" as she was absorbed by the Sub Core. I'm afraid no one can say for sure whether she is alive or dead now.

"..."

I suddenly had a crazy idea.

This Sub Core is part of the Divine Item heaven and earth, the Boundary Breaking Armor, and it was differentiated from the Main Core.

My special ability can be upgraded by absorbing external objects.

What if I devour this Sub Core?

What happens?

Can even a part of Divine Artifact be devoured?

The Boundary Breaking Armor symbolizes greed and corruption; will it devour things only to be devoured in return?

Moreover, the Sick Spider might be existing in a highly ambiguous state within this Sub Core, which could potentially cause unforeseen complications.

Only time will tell.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So many updates during summer vacation... it's a bit stressful for someone who only updates regularly.