Report
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Griffin Scans
Translator – Hero of death
Proofreader – Sleepyhead
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Chapter 8 - Is there hope?
In the city…
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sounds of intense battle echoed. Dozens of soldiers in black uniforms fired their weapons at the spider monsters. Blue muzzles lit up as specially made metal bullets tore through the air toward the creatures.
Da-da-da!
The sharp gunfire became the only melody on this battlefield—bloody and brutal.
Though the soldiers fired quickly, the spider monsters were no less swift. They rapidly hid behind ruins and wrecked cars, bending their bodies to dodge the incoming bullets.
“Damn it, just die already!”
One soldier shouted in fury, gripping his weapon tightly, wishing he could riddle the man-eating monsters with bullets.
But aside from one or two spiders who didn’t find cover quickly enough and were shot through, the rest had hidden. The battlefield suddenly fell into eerie silence.
The black sky above seemed like a cruel joke from the goddess of night, creating the perfect hunting ground for these spiders.
After all humans did not have night vision.
One soldier cautiously moved forward, both hands gripping his weapon as he watched the surroundings carefully, alert for any ambush.
Just then, a voice suddenly sounded behind him:
“Watch out above!”
Above!
The soldier quickly looked up and saw a massive black figure falling from the sky. Before he could raise his weapon, the figure opened its mouth and spat out a thick glob of white webbing, wrapping him up tightly and leaving him unable to move.
“I can’t… move…”
Before he could finish speaking, the spider monster that ambushed him swung its sharp forelimb—his head was severed in an instant.
His lifeless head, eyes wide with fear and shock, rolled to the ground beside his web-bound body.
“Watch the skies!”
The commander quickly shouted, but it was already too late. One spider after another dropped from the skies like death’s scythes, reaping soldiers' lives without pause.
“Damn it!”
The commander clenched his fists, water streams swirling around him before forming into an arrow that shot forward.
He was an awakened being as well, although only at the fifth tier. But that was enough to handle ordinary spider monsters.
Whoosh!
The water arrow pierced through a spider’s head just as it was about to behead another soldier. Its massive body collapsed with a thud.
“Defend the rear! Don’t get too close to the walls or buildings! This terrain benefits the spiders too much!”
The commander began ordering a retreat. At that moment, several awakened beings using wind, fire, and earth elements arrived.
“Cutting Wind Blade!”
“Spear of Flame!”
“Earth Spike!”
It looked like a scene from a fantasy movie. Though they couldn't immediately kill all the spider monsters, the awakened ones were able to hold their ground.
With their help, the soldiers' pressure eased significantly, and the commander let out a sigh of relief.
But just as he relaxed, a massive shadow dropped from above. A power-based awakened being didn’t even have time to react before being impaled in mid-air.
A three-meter-tall spider monster appeared. It casually raised its pincer and stuffed the captured awakened into its mouth.
This spider looked entirely different from the others. Its body was covered in black insect-like armor, reflecting a cold sheen under the light.
As it appeared, all the hidden spiders emerged and bowed their heads to it—as if submitting to their king.
“What is that thing?!”
Everyone was shocked. That was a fourth-tier power-type awakened, killed in an instant. No one even got a good look at the giant spider.
Some of the awakened ones stepped back in fear. Weren’t they just here to deal with some man-eating spiders? How had such a terrifying monster appeared?
The commander’s heart was full of dread too. But thinking of the civilians in the city, he knew if he backed down now, everyone was doomed.
He took a deep breath and shouted:
“Open fire!”
Da-da-da!
Bullets tore through the air, creating that familiar battlefield scent—intense and bloody.
Hundreds of bullets rained down like arrows, striking the giant spider’s armored shell.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Sparks flew, and white marks appeared, but none of the bullets could penetrate.
“Impossible!”
The commander was stunned. But years of combat training kept him calm. He quickly formed another water arrow. The other awakened fighters unleashed their abilities as well.
Elemental forces wove through the air, forming terrifying attacks. Even a boulder would be shattered by such power.
But the giant spider simply kept chewing its food. As it gazed at the incoming attacks, its eight eyes flashed with contempt.
It slowly raised a pincer and swung it casually.
Boom!
All the elemental attacks were shattered into sparkles of light.
Along with them, human confidence was also crushed.
“How can it be this strong? Isn't this just a regular spider cultist?”
“What kind of monster is this thing?”
“I don’t want to die…”
The fear radiating from the humans seemed to amuse the spider. It opened its grotesque mouth and rasped in a dry, eerie voice:
“I am Gusa, Priest of the Spider God. Offering up you awakened ones and the lives in this city shall please the great Atlach-Nacha. In return, I shall be granted the reward of ascending to Morning Star rank.”
“Morning… Morning Star monster?!”
The commander’s eyes widened. His teeth began to chatter. There were nine known awakened tiers. Beyond that was the Morning Star rank.
Those who reached it possessed legendary might.
Not only could they command vast energy from the world, but numbers alone could no longer pose a threat to them.
They were known as ten-thousand-man slayers.
A monster that ascended to Morning Star was even worse. With its massive body and nearly indestructible armor, even tens of thousands of soldiers couldn’t bring it down. Only heavy weapons had a chance.
But Morning Star beings didn’t just stand still. Their speed would become every human's nightmare.
“It’s over… this city is doomed. A monster is about to become a Morning Star…”
The commander collapsed, unable to imagine that such a monster could rise within the city he swore to protect.
What made it worse, the city’s only Morning Star-ranked general had taken the elite forces to hunt another powerful monster nearby. There were no ninth-tier awakened left to stop this.
Which meant this monster’s ascension was almost guaranteed.
The commander sent out a message, urging others to evacuate the city. With a Morning Star-level threat rising, only the general’s return could stop it. Otherwise, staying meant certain death.
He pulled a pocket watch from his coat and opened it. Inside was a photo of a man in uniform and a little boy wearing a military cap.
“Son, your father won’t be there to watch you grow up. But I won’t run away. I will fulfill my duty to protect the civilians of this city.”
As he spoke, he stood up again and fired another water arrow. The spider monster shattered it easily and sneered:
“Foolish human.”
The commander suppressed the fear growing in his heart, lifted his head to stare at the monster, and sneered back:
“Yes, we humans are weak. I, Zhou Zheng, am just an ordinary officer. But I’m still better than a creature that’s abandoned its humanity and become this abomination.
Even if you kill me today, you’ll be hunted down by our strongest. I am proud to be human. The heavens thunder, and the human race shall endure!”
“What disgusting words!. Humans need only serve as food.”
Hatred filled all eight eyes of the spider priest. Clearly, Zhou Zheng’s words had enraged it.
Thud, thud, thud!
The massive spider moved forward, like a war machine crushing everything in its path.
It had no intention of talking further. These awakened ones would be appetizers. The entire city’s life force would be its main course. With that offering, it would ascend to Morning Star, and perhaps even reach an immortal, a higher existence…
Zhou Zheng stared at the oncoming spider priest, took a deep breath, and pulled out a grenade—ready to die together with the creature.
But just as he was about to pull the pin, a calm male voice rang out:
“Little spider, you and your master have crossed the line.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~Chapter End~~~~~~~~~~~~~
