The middle chamber of the ruined structure was vastly different from the outer areas. Cracked obsidian pillars lined the walls, carved with faded, eerie symbols that pulsed with a dim red light. Thick layers of webbing covered nearly every surface, hanging from the ceiling like torn curtains. The air was thick with the stench of venom and dried blood.
At the center of the chamber, Riven's team was locked in a brutal fight against the E-rank boss spider.
Darius stood at the front, acting as the main tank. His heavy greatsword was planted firmly into the ground as he blocked the spider's massive front legs. The creature was enormous — nearly the size of a carriage — with thick black armor and glowing red patterns across its body. Every strike sent violent tremors through his arms.
"Damn, this thing is heavy!" Darius growled, veins bulging on his neck. "Riven! Liora! Do something!"
Behind him, Liora stood with her silver staff raised high. Lightning crackled violently around the crystal at the top as she channeled her spell. The air around her had already begun to distort from the sheer amount of mana she was gathering.
To the sides, Riven moved like a crimson blur, cutting down the endless swarm of smaller spiders that kept pouring out from the webs.
"These damn things just keep coming!" Riven shouted while slashing through two spiders at once. Green blood splattered across her outfit as she kicked another one away. "Liora! How much longer?!"
Liora's purple eyes remained locked on the massive spider.
"Just a little more…" she muttered through clenched teeth. "Hold it for ten more seconds, Darius!"
The E-rank spider let out a furious screech. It raised two of its front legs high before slamming them down toward Darius with tremendous force. The impact created a small crater in the stone floor, forcing him to slide back several meters.
"Shit—!" Darius cursed. "This bastard is getting pissed off!"
More small spiders began crawling out from the walls and ceiling, swarming toward the group. Riven clicked her tongue and dashed forward again, cutting down as many as she could, but their numbers were overwhelming.
Darius wiped the sweat from his brow and raised his greatsword once more.
"Come on then, you ugly bastard!" he roared. "I'm right here!"
The massive spider's multiple red eyes locked onto him. It opened its mandibles and charged forward once again.
Riven glanced back at Liora with urgency.
"Liora!"
Liora's hair began to float slightly from the sheer amount of lightning mana she was controlling. Her voice finally rang out clearly.
"…[Tempest Judgment]."
A massive magic circle made of lightning formed beneath the E-rank spider.
The boss seemed to sense the danger. It stopped its charge and turned toward Liora, letting out a furious hiss.
"Too late," Liora muttered coldly.
A thick pillar of lightning descended from the magic circle with terrifying speed. The spider screeched and tried to leap aside, but the spell was too fast. The lightning struck its body directly, exploding with a deafening BOOM that shook the entire chamber.
The spider's armored body was blasted backward, slamming into a broken pillar. Chunks of its black carapace were blown off, and green blood sprayed across the webs. The smaller spiders nearby were instantly fried by the residual lightning.
Riven grinned fiercely.
"Nice one, Liora!"
Darius let out a relieved laugh, though he was still breathing heavily.
"About damn time!"
However, their moment of relief was short-lived.
The E-rank spider slowly rose from the rubble. Its body was scorched and smoking, and one of its front legs was bent at an unnatural angle. But it was far from dead. The glowing red patterns across its body pulsed faster, and its remaining eyes turned blood-red.
It was enraged.
Without warning, the spider opened its mandibles and spat out a thick stream of dark green acid toward Liora.
"Liora, move!" Darius shouted.
Liora's eyes widened. She tried to dodge, but her body couldn't react in time.
In the next instant, something cold and powerful wrapped around her waist and violently yanked her backward. The world blurred for a second before she found herself pressed against someone's chest, strong arms holding her firmly from behind.
Her mind went blank.
What just—?
Before she could process anything, a low, calm voice spoke directly beside her ear.
"Careful now."
A shiver ran down her spine. She could feel the warmth of his breath near her ear and the solid weight of an arm wrapped around her midsection. The scent of blood, ash, and something faintly metallic clung to him.
When she turned her head slightly and saw who it was, her thoughts froze.
Lucas Vanderbilt…?
Her heart gave an uncomfortable thump.
She could feel his hand resting just below her chest, fingers pressing lightly against her stomach through the fabric of her robe. The position was far too intimate. Heat rushed to her face before she could stop it.
What is he doing?! How did he arrive here? Is he following us?!
Darius let out a quiet sigh of relief that Liora had been saved. Riven, however, tightened her grip on her daggers. It was all too convenient. Lucas had appeared the very moment Liora was about to be attacked, almost as if he had been waiting for it. Yet neither of them could move without breaking their formation.
Lucas's voice came again, low and laced with amusement.
"Looks like your prince arrived just in time, Princess."
Liora's mind short-circuited.
Princess?
A wave of embarrassment and indignation crashed over her. She hated how easily that single word affected her. She quickly pushed his arm away and stood up, her movements slightly unsteady. Her purple eyes were wide, and a faint red tint colored her cheeks. She gripped her staff tightly, trying to regain her usual cold composure.
"…I didn't need your help," she said, her voice colder than she intended.
Lucas raised an eyebrow, a faint smirk still playing on his lips.
"Is that so?"
Then, in the very next moment, his smile slowly faded. What replaced it was something far colder.
"What about now?"
Liora's words caught in her throat.
A strange, numbing sensation suddenly spread through her entire body. Her legs felt heavy, as if they no longer belonged to her. She tried to circulate her mana, but nothing happened.
"Wha—?"
Her voice came out weak and broken. Panic began to rise in her chest as she realized she couldn't move her limbs properly. Her fingers trembled violently as she slowly brought her hand up to her face.
There, on the tip of her index finger, was a tiny droplet of blood tinged with a faint, unnatural purple.
Liora's eyes widened in horror.
She slowly lifted her gaze toward Lucas. Her breathing had become shallow and uneven.
"You…" Her voice came out hoarse. "What did you do to me…?"
Lucas didn't answer right away. He simply twirled the small, almost invisible black needle between his fingers before making it disappear into his sleeve. His blue eyes remained fixed on her, cold and calculating.
Behind them, the E-rank spider let out another furious screech as it rampaged toward Riven and Darius. The two of them were too busy trying to survive the relentless attacks to notice what was happening to Liora.
Liora tried once again to force her mana to circulate, but it was useless. Her body felt like it was slowly turning into lead. Even standing upright was becoming difficult.
Lucas finally spoke, his voice quiet and devoid of any warmth.
"Be grateful you were blessed with quite a unique class. If not for that, your fate would've been the same as theirs."
He walked past her without sparing her another glance, his black coat brushing lightly against her paralyzed arm as he moved forward. His steps were calm and unhurried, as if the raging spider and the ongoing battle didn't concern him in the slightest.
Liora's eyes widened in horror.
No… No…
She desperately tried to move her lips, to force even a single sound out to warn Riven and Darius, but nothing came. Tears of frustration and fear welled up in her eyes as she watched Lucas's figure steadily approach her teammates from behind.
Lucas moved through the chamber like a shadow.
Darius was completely focused on the E-rank spider in front of him. His greatsword was raised as he blocked another heavy strike from one of its massive legs.
"Riven! Keep the small ones off me!" he shouted without looking back.
Just as he was about to counterattack, a sudden chill ran down his spine. His instincts screamed in warning, but before he could even begin to turn around—
Shadow Step.
Lucas appeared directly behind him without making a single sound. His blue eyes were calm and cold as he looked at Darius's broad back. With a single, fluid motion, he drove Voidreaver forward.
The massive greatsword pierced through Darius's neck like it was cutting through butter. The sharp blade tore through flesh, muscle, and spine before erupting out of the front of his throat in a violent spray of blood.
"—!"
Darius's eyes shot wide open in shock. His mouth opened, but no words came out — only a wet, gurgling sound mixed with blood. His greatsword slipped from his fingers and clattered loudly onto the stone floor.
Lucas didn't pull the blade out immediately.
Instead, he twisted it once, slowly and cruelly, widening the gruesome wound. More blood gushed out in thick streams. Darius's body convulsed violently as his legs gave out beneath him. His fingers twitched weakly, grasping at nothing.
Lucas finally yanked Voidreaver free.
Darius collapsed forward as a puppet with its strings cut. He hit the ground face-first with a heavy thud, blood pooling rapidly beneath his head. His fingers twitched a few more times before going completely still. His eyes remained wide open, staring blankly at the ground.
"DARIUSSSS!!"
Riven's scream tore through the chamber. Her crimson eyes widened in horror as she watched her teammate fall lifelessly. For a split second, her mind went blank.
The E-rank spider's massive head snapped toward her. Its multiple red eyes locked onto Riven with predatory focus. With a sharp, furious hiss, its long, spear-like front leg lashed out with terrifying speed.
Shhk—!
The pointed leg stabbed directly into Riven's left waist, piercing through flesh and muscle with brutal force. The tip burst out from her back in a spray of blood. Riven's eyes widened in agony as a choked, broken scream escaped her throat.
"AAARGHHHHHH—!"
Before she could even process the pain, the spider violently retracted its leg. The hooked tip tore through her flesh as it yanked her off her feet. Riven was dragged across the webbed ground toward the massive creature, leaving a trail of blood behind her. Her daggers slipped from her hands as she desperately tried to grab onto something, but the webs offered no purchase.
The spider raised another leg high into the air, its sharp, barbed tip aimed directly at her exposed torso.
Just as it was about to impale her—
Boom.
A heavy impact slammed into the spider's side. The massive creature staggered backward, its raised leg missing Riven by a hair's breadth. The E-rank spider let out a furious screech as it regained its balance, its multiple red eyes snapping toward the source of the attack.
Lucas stood in the middle of the chamber, positioned between the spider and Riven. Voidreaver rested on his shoulder, still vibrating from the force of the blow. He slowly lowered the greatsword, his expression calm and cold.
Riven, lying on the ground while clutching her bleeding waist, looked up at him in shock.
Lucas didn't spare her a glance.
Instead, he stared directly at the enraged spider. His blue eyes gradually darkened, shifting into a deep, ominous purple. A suffocating pressure suddenly erupted from his body and spread across the chamber.
[Abyssal Authority]
The smaller spiders nearby recoiled violently, their bodies twitching as if crushed by an invisible force. Even the E-rank spider hesitated for a moment, its instincts warning it of danger.
Lucas's voice rang out, quiet yet filled with cold possessiveness.
"She's mine."
He took a single step forward, Voidreaver dragging lightly across the webbed ground.
"Back off."
**
On my Patreon, you get immediate early access to the next several chapters (they're already written and waiting), plus a whole library of exclusive stories, bonus scenes, alternate endings, and spicy content I can't share anywhere else.
https://www.patreon.com/c/DevilsWhisper