Return from the Other Shore: The Little Spider

"Exhale... inhale... exhale..."

Continuing with the Lamaze Production Breathing Method, I finally felt this arduous task was over and breathed a sigh of relief... Should I be thankful that both mother and child are safe and sound?

"Mother..."

Little Butterfly looked at me pitifully, her eyes red. It seemed she had really worried my dear daughter. I smiled wryly and reached out my somewhat weak hand to pat her little head.

Luo-chan stared thoughtfully at the large pool of blood I had created. This pool of blood was quite peculiar; although it was spilled in the Blood Sea, it maintained a very clear boundary with the surrounding blood, as if emphasizing that it was "different from them."

"So, my Husband, what's wrong with you? Could it be...?"

"To be honest, I think so too... If we're talking about what will come out this time, it can only be her."

I became slightly more wary.

This is by no means an easy opponent to deal with.

At least last time I almost died at her hands.

I can feel that I am much stronger than before, but I haven't tested exactly how much stronger I am, so I must not act rashly.

My body is exhausted after childbirth, and I don't want to fight the enemy in this state.

I need to recover my strength—the instant I thought this, blood seeped from my fingertips, crimson and looking no different from ordinary blood. But when it dripped onto the surface of the Blood Sea, the other blood automatically moved aside, maintaining a subtle distance from mine.

It was as if they were afraid of something.

Then, in the very center of the blood, thin streams of blood rose rapidly before I could give the command, coalescing into a single flow. Below was a slender stem, the lines at the top blooming in a dazzling manner, forming a flower.

The symbol of lost life— the Flower of the Other Shore —bloomed from blood.

This is one of the seven hundred million lives I have devoured.

Give your life to me--

As I thought this, the flower immediately began to wither, turning into wilted petals that fell away in the blink of an eye. At the same time, an amazing surge of energy suddenly rose within me, sweeping away all my fatigue, pain, and weakness.

"Oh? Husband, is this the new ability you worked so hard to acquire?" Luo-chan looked at me with a teasing expression, and I shrugged.

"Of course it's not just that; this is probably just the most basic..."

Yes, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

I could feel something almost inexhaustible, enormous and vast churning within me, roaring in my blood, clamoring to burst forth and unleash its power. I even suspected that if I relaxed my senses, something... extraordinary would happen.

Okay, my strength has now fully recovered.

That's the problem.

"Mom? What's going on...?"

"Little Butterfly, be a good girl and come behind your mother."

"But..."

"Obedient."

Little Butterfly immediately stopped talking. She nodded obediently and quickly darted behind me, without even peeking out to look ahead.

Glug glug glug...

The large pool of blood I had expelled earlier began to bubble and boil, like boiling water. The flow of blood and life force within it became strange, heavy and sluggish... as if it had solidified. Wisps of Blood Mist, like steam, rose from it, and the pungent smell of blood was almost unbearable for me. I knew it had materialized.

"They're here..."

"I'm rooting for you, my dear Husband ~"

"Go, Mom!"

"That's enough, you two."

Honestly, they don't seem nervous at all about facing the boss.

During the battle with the Sick Spider at the Central United Academy, although I cleverly (or perhaps cunningly?) tricked her into accidentally inhaling the crystal dust of the Blood Crystal, causing an internal explosion, she still managed to unleash her "City of Spider Cocoons" while severely injured. Just as I was about to collapse, the awakened Boundary Breaking Armor advanced into our battleground. Unable to escape immediately due to her injuries, the Sick Spider was swept into the torrent of metal and absorbed as nourishment by the nearest Sub Core.

I took the opportunity to pull out the Sub Core, thinking I'd Time Devour... and then it turned into Yusuo Zai shoving it into my mouth and kicking me into a sea of the Blood Sea.

I was never sure of the Sick Spider's fate, but I thought she was probably existing in a very ambiguous state within this Sub Core, waiting for the day she could make a comeback.

Now she has finally gotten what she's been waiting for.

During the process of consuming life, I digested the Sub Core of the Boundary Breaking Armor along with it, and it was transferred into my body. I took advantage of the excess life force flowing into my body to reshape my physical body!

"You've truly endured hardship and humiliation; I'm starting to wonder if you're the real protagonist... But unfortunately, I won't allow that to happen."

--Here it comes!

With a soft hiss, the Blood Mist thinned, revealing something inside—a white mass that looked like a curled-up body.

"...Gurgle..."

Snap! An arm stretched out first, feeling around on the crystal surface, as if finally confirming that the foothold beneath her was stable, before she began to move her body with difficulty.

"...?" etc.

Something seems off.

According to Blood Fiend's memories, the Sick Spider, although she should actually be over two hundred years old, still maintains the appearance of someone in their twenties.

Even with the buff Jili eternal youth, she would still look to be in her early twenties!

The arm that was stretched out... was incredibly fair and slender; its thickness and length clearly didn't look like that of someone in their early twenties!

It's even smaller than my... no, smaller than Little Butterfly's arms and hands!

"Hey... no way..."

The Blood Mist completely dissipated.

I finally saw her in full.

Her body was incredibly petite, her limbs so smooth and slender they seemed fragile enough to break at any moment. Her adorable little hands and feet resembled exquisitely crafted works of art. Long, black hair cascaded loosely down her back, the glimpses of her fair spine reminiscent of sweet candy. Following the delicate curves of her back were her tender buttocks, their lines still slightly immature, yet already exuding a dangerous allure. Her flat chest remained completely still, the two nipples like newly formed cherries awaiting ripening, contrasting with the small navel on her firm abdomen, emphasizing her presence. Her hair showed no signs of trimming, and her overly long bangs obscured her face, revealing only her pearly white shoulders and neck from the side...

She's a little girl.

Or rather... she exists somewhere between a young girl and a loli.

Whether she's a loli or a little girl... who cares! In any case, this body looks like it belongs to an eight or nine-year-old, very young.

"..."

I felt that the fighting spirit I had just mustered had suddenly vanished.

No, I'm a rational person! Appearance and strength are never proportional. I can't go easy on her just because she looks young!

Just as she turned her head in my direction—

"Flame Cut Bloodline!"

At first, I thought that to use this technique, I would have to rely on the power of the Rakshasa True Word to mutate my body and grow many extremely long capillaries to carry the blood; otherwise, the cutting blade would be difficult to shape. But now there is no such limitation. My control over blood is now so strong that I can directly extend the blood into thin threads only a few micrometers thick and apply hellish heat directly to them!

Strike first, strike hard.

"Mom, wait a minute--!!!!"

--stop!!!

The blood had barely shot out when I stopped it abruptly; it was less than a centimeter from my lovely daughter's nose.

My body feels cool.

In just a moment, I was covered in cold sweat.

Little Butterfly suddenly appeared in the path of the bloodline... or more precisely, she stood in front of the newborn spider.

If I hadn't stopped the health bar in time...

"Little Butterfly!!! Are you crazy?! Do you know what the consequences would be if this thing hit you?!"

How can this child be so inconsiderate! Didn't I tell him to listen to his mother?

"But... but Mom, isn't this wrong? She looked so cute, why did you kill her? Isn't she... isn't she someone's little sister!?"

"The body is indeed given by me, but the inner self is the enemy's soul! Do not confuse friend with foe!"

"No way! This is my first sister! I can't just watch her die!!!"

"Have you grown some guts, kid? Listen to your mother, get away from her! Stay away from her, she's dangerous! She almost killed me last time!"

"Waaaaah~~~~~~~ But, just this once, I won't listen to Mom even if she says so!"

"Tsk--!!!"

That brat!

I smacked my lips in annoyance, and with a leap, although I didn't use the Blood Flame for acceleration, my speed increased several times over! In an instant, I was beside Little Butterfly, scooped her up in my arms, and reached out my other hand to the tiny life that hadn't even fully raised its head yet—

A tiny life with a fragile body.

They gained their bodies through my blood, and were born from me.

Putting aside the internal aspects, physiologically speaking, they are indeed my own flesh and blood.

My first reaction upon seeing her was to "kill her to prevent future troubles."

From a common-sense perspective, isn't this a bit too cruel and inhumane?

For me, it doesn't matter at all.

Along the way, I have come to a profound understanding of the saying, "To be merciful to the enemy is to be cruel to oneself."

Faced with an enemy that cannot be measured by morality or ethics, I wouldn't be foolish enough to still follow so-called humanitarianism... although I don't think I've ever followed that stuff.

The best way to eliminate a danger is to nip it in the bud.

This is the perfect opportunity; the opponent is temporarily powerless to resist, and the course of action is immediately clear.

However, even with my mind filled with cold, rational reason, I still hesitated.

Because Little Butterfly is here.

She is my daughter.

What would she think if her most beloved mother killed her sister right in front of her?

What kind of blow will it suffer?

Little Butterfly is so innocent and pure; I will never allow anyone to taint her.

Even I can't do it.

Therefore, I stopped this time.

"Mother?"

I waved my hand, signaling Little Butterfly not to worry, and she immediately went from sad to happy.

"I knew Mom wouldn't do something so cruel!"

"Hmm~ Of course, after all, she's Little Butterfly's important little sister~"

"Haha, she's a big sister now!"

Okay, looks like I've managed to appease her for now.

I turned my cold gaze to the little life crawling in front of me.

I lowered my voice and lowered my head to a distance where I was sure Little Butterfly couldn't hear me.

"So... what do you want, Sick Spider?"

"..."

"Your resurrection plan is really well-executed, but unfortunately... I'm not the same person I used to be."

"..."

"Right now, I'm 80% confident I can take you down head-on."

"..."

"... Hello?"

The moment I sensed something was wrong--

She looked up, face to face with me, and her youthful and pretty face, hidden beneath her messy bangs, was revealed for the first time.

There was no impurity in her pure eyes.

Then,

"... Mother?"

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

Ugh... As someone who's not into lolis, I have absolutely no interest in descriptions of lolis and young girls... I'm going to go lick my Enterprise account instead.