Now that the massive spider had been sent flying across the room, Maddy finally exhaled.
"Whew! That works! Ten seconds! I need ten seconds!"
Maddy scrambled toward a high, recessed alcove.
"I've been to seminars, read so many textbooks about baby toys, equipment, all of it. I just need to imagine them and recreate it…"
She recalled those seminars she attended during her false pregnancy. The lecturer carefully explaining what made good baby equipment, what kept a child safe and calm. She focused, channeling her magic, weaving light with careful intent.
"Absolute Light Manipulation: Heaven's Crib!"
Light folded in on itself, forming a cradle suspended in the air. It was smooth and rounded, shaped like cupped hands, with soft glowing cushions that gently adjusted to the baby's body. A transparent shell of solidified light wrapped around it, firm enough to block attacks but warm and breathable inside.
[System Notice]
[Congratulations! You acquired a skill: Absolute Light Manipulation: Heaven's Crib]
[Absolute Light Manipulation: Heaven's Crib: Mold and shape condensed light into protective constructs, forming shields or containers that safeguard allies. Can block attacks, stabilize objects, and provide comfort or support within a glowing, solidified enclosure. Effect scales with the amount of light condensed and the precision of the user's control.]
The crib hummed quietly, stabilizing itself in place, shielding the baby from shock, heat, and stray magic—safe, secure, and gentle, exactly as it was meant to be.
"Sleep tight, little boss. Mommy's gotta do some pest control."
The Suzerain recovered with a screech that rattled the very foundations of the cave. Her abdomen pulsed with a violent yellow hue before she unleashed a massive, electrified silk net, designed to pin Maddy to the stone floor and fry her alive.
"You really love spitting on me, huh? Fine. I guess I'll just cut those strings."
She forced herself to slow down, clearing her thoughts.
"That looks like a fishing net… but sparking with electricity. I need a weapon that can cut anything. Not just objects but magic infused attacks too. And it has to be light. I'm not swinging around something heavier than me… Yeah. That's it."
The idea solidified. Thanks to the spider's weaponized limbs, her mind could now shape something real.
"Absolute Light Manipulation: Divine Armament: Sword!"
Look, she was a woman in her thirties from a world of spreadsheets and laundry; give the "grandma" a break on the naming conventions.
But as the hilt materialized in her hand, something shifted. The Tool/Weapon Use trait from the Demonic Ogres surged through her nerves. Her fingers adjusted their grip perfectly; her stance widened instinctively.
"Since when do I know how to do this?"
She swung.
The blade carved through the crackling web like silk, slicing it into harmless fragments of fading light.
"Okay... those Ogres were actually useful in death!"
Maddy laughed, feeling a rush of adrenaline.
"Who needs years of kendo lessons when you can just inherit the muscle memory of a war chief?"
[System Notice]
[Congratulations! You acquired a skill: Absolute Light Manipulation: Divine Armament]
[Absolute Light Manipulation: Divine Armament: Condense and solidify radiant light around your body or limbs, forging it into weapons or battle gear of pure brilliance. Can enhance attacks, reinforce strikes, and manifest blades or armaments capable of cutting through enemies and defenses alike. Effect scales with the amount of light condensed and the user's mastery over its shape and density.]
Seeing her snare shredded, the Suzerain lost all restraint. Yellow sparks ignited across her ten massive limbs, amplifying her speed until she became a blur of jagged electricity. She skittered across the ceiling, then the walls, then the floor circling Maddy like a living hurricane of blades.
"Yeah, yeah, you have ten legs, stop boasting and face me head-on!"
Maddy realized the air was growing heavy. The sharp scent of ozone filled her lungs, and her hair began to stand on end, crackling faintly.
"Wait… is she charging up?"
The spider struck.
It was a symphony of violence. The Suzerain used her Spear Limbs to thrust with the force of a piston, followed by her Sword Limbs in a cross-cut meant to decapitate. Maddy raised her Shiny Shield, the light ringing like a bell with every impact. When the spider tried to slam her with its Shield Limbs, Maddy countered with a Flashburst, a blinding pulse of light designed to stagger the beast.
But the Matriarch was smart. As the light flared, she thrust her spear limbs deep into the stone floor, anchoring herself to avoid being blown back. She closed her eyes to avoid the blindness and kept swinging by pure vibration-sense.
"Wow, you're a smart one!"
Maddy panted, her Enhanced Strength and Stamina keeping her heart steady while her human lungs burned.
"I'll give you credit, Momma. You're everything a protector should be. But you're being rude to your guest. We could've been best friends, talking about our kids over tea."
Maddy saw an opening. As the spider leaned into a heavy shield bash, Maddy slid beneath the center of the beast's mass. Her Light Sword flared with a blinding intensity.
"Let's see how you walk without these!"
In a whirlwind of golden slashes, Maddy moved with a grace that felt like dancing. One, two, five, ten—she sliced through the joints of every single weaponized limb. Chitin flew like shrapnel. The Suzerain let out a gurgling cry as she collapsed, her massive body hitting the floor… now nothing more than a head and a torso.
"You were a great warm-up, you know. I never imagined in my past life that I'd be sword-fighting a spider."
The Matriarch's mandibles began to glow with a terrifying, concentrated yellow light.
"Argh, stop it. It's over. Just give up."
She wasn't aiming at Maddy. Her head wrenched upward, the lightning laser locking onto the Heaven's Crib suspended in the alcove. Maddy's heart stopped.
"NO! YOU BITCH!"
The spider fired. A pillar of high voltage death shrieked through the air toward the sleeping baby.
"SEPHIRAN!"
Maddy lunged, her sword extended. She drove the blade straight through the Suzerain's skull, pinning the head to the floor and ending the monster's life in a final thrust. But it was too late, the laser had already struck.
A massive explosion of light and smoke filled the alcove. Maddy stood frozen, her hand still on the hilt of her sword, her breath hitching in a sob.
"Please... please no..."
As the smoke cleared, the hum of Heaven's Crib reached her ears. The shimmering lattice was unscratched, glowing even brighter as it absorbed the remnant electricity. Inside, Sephiran wasn't crying. He was sitting up, blinking his wide, curious eyes at the fading light, looking quite annoyed that his nap had been interrupted. Maddy fell to her knees, a hysterical laugh escaping her.
"You... you're okay. You're actually okay."
The red Hellmouth icon ignited over the Matriarch's remains. Maddy didn't even wait for the prompt.
"INGEST!"