When he saw the last person die, Joey, who had been struggling desperately, suddenly wore a cold expression. The Quadruped tentacle binding him exploded.
The force continued unabated, blasting the entire Quadruped to pieces.
Joey spun around, rushed back through the door, and closed it behind him, watching the writhing puddle of viscous matter with a mocking look.
"That's mine! All that power is mine! Joey, I'm going to eat you and take back what's mine!"
The puddle of black liquid resembled a huge spider crouching on the floor. It suddenly sprang up and hung upside down from the ceiling.
Before it could pounce, it burst into a cloud of bloody mist in midair, dissolving into nothingness amid a shrill cry of defiance.
"Why... are you... like this?"
"Simple. You're not the only one getting stronger. If I hadn't been afraid of exposing myself, do you think you could have stayed hidden until now?"
Watching the room gradually fade away, Joey was overwhelmed by conflicting emotions.
There had once been a group of occult enthusiasts here. Now they were all dead, including him-the original Joey Clive.
This was a final farewell to his past.
Just before the space vanished completely, Joey's spirit body faded. The Quadrupeds charging toward him lunged at empty air and could only howl and roar where they stood.
Joey's spirit body returned to the Round Table Hall. He did not immediately return to reality; there were things he needed to sort out first.
He would need them when he went back out and faced Annie and the others.
A quarter of an hour later, Joey opened his eyes in his cabin in the real world.
There were faint rustling sounds around him. He knew everyone had woken up.
Because of the Red Spider Silk, the nine