Boom!

  The fire beam exploded violently, almost completely destroying the left side of the Spider Woman’s body. A massive hole tore through her, stretching from the side of her chest to the middle of her back.

  "Aaaarghhh—!"

  In agony, she opened her mouth wide and screamed, coughing up a rge amount of blood. Her consciousness wavered for a moment, and her thoughts turned blurry.

  But it didn’t end there. The fmes swallowed her whole, burning what remained of her body. Her features twisted as her flesh melted, and the force of the explosion bsted her away. She fell in a straight line toward the ground, charred fragments of her body breaking off and falling with her.

  While she was falling, despite the overwhelming pain, she didn’t focus on herself. Slowly, she turned her head slightly to the right.

  She saw Arthur—his body burning as well—falling like a meteor. Far behind him, the Obsididrake was charging toward them, a cruel grin on its face.

  She closed her unfocused eyes and let out a sorrowful sigh.

  'Death…? Hah… What a miserable fate that brings us together, isn’t it, you cunning wolf? Who would’ve thought… Even when I’m about to die, I’m thinking about you. You really are… truly special.'

  Despair and fear crept into her heart as she felt her end approaching. She knew she couldn’t defeat the Obsididrake. At the same time, she couldn’t escape from it either.

  But in that moment, for some reason, she remembered Arthur’s mysterious blue eyes—his calm, confident gaze, his Unbreakable Will.

  Most importantly, she remembered that he had never once given up. Not even when facing her. Death hadn’t terrified him. Pain hadn’t broken him.

  ''If even you, so weak, never give up and never fear death… then what’s stopping me from being like you? I won’t give up either.

  I’ll fight with everything I have until my very st breath. I’ll survive. No… we’ll survive together. And when this is over, I’ll force you to tell me who you really are.'

  Her heart ignited with determination. A courage she had never known before filled her entire being. All her fear, sorrow, and despair vanished.

  For the first time in her life, she felt an overwhelming desire to fight—not just for herself, but for someone else.

  She opened her eyes, now carrying an intense crity and calmness. Because of this drastic shift in her mindset and the way she faced her emotions, her mental strength underwent a noticeable improvement.

  Without holding anything back, she released her full power. Then she activated her skill "Hyper Regeneration" at its absolute limit.

  Her burns healed. Her severed left legs regrew rapidly. The massive hole in her body began to close, filling with flesh, blood vessels, and mana pathways.

  Just before crashing into the ground, she twisted her body slightly and adjusted her posture, nding gracefully on her legs.

  Trees shattered beneath her. Winds mixed with dirt, leaves, and even smoke surged outward in all directions like raging waves.

  She lifted her head, which was still regenerating, and looked at the Obsididrake charging toward her. Then she activated her skill "Omni Scan" and searched for Arthur’s exact location.

  She found him three hundred meters away—directly in the Obsididrake’s path.

  She knew for certain it would kill him without hesitation, because her scent and aura were all over him.

  In fact, the Obsididrake didn’t hate her without reason. Their hostility—or rather, their war—had begun several years ago when they were both still Rank C.

  At that time, the Spider Woman wanted to expand her nest and take control of new hunting grounds, so she attacked the Obsididrake who ruled the area next to hers.

  Because she had a stronger bloodline, higher intelligence, and even more versatile abilities than him back then, she managed to defeat him and take over his territory along with all the resources he had.

  Unfortunately, she couldn’t kill him. Despite being severely injured, he managed to escape.

  About a year ter, he returned to fight her again, aiming to recim his nd—but once again, she defeated him and forced him to flee.

  It didn’t stop there. Over the past ten years, he kept returning to fight her, and each time he came back stronger, smarter, and more skilled than before.

  Of course, the Spider Woman tried to kill him several times, but he always managed to escape alive thanks to his toughness and incredible endurance.

  In their st battle, which took pce about half a year ago, she was about to enter her Evolution sleep.

  She fought him with all her strength, severely wounding and weakening him so he wouldn’t dare interfere with her Evolution.

  Even then, he didn’t submit or tire. He kept coming back to her territory, roaring during her slumber, disturbing her peace and provoking her.

  She didn't hesitate for even a single moment. She activated the "Burst Steps" skill and lunged toward him.

  As she tore through the forest at a staggering speed, she activated "Silken Dominion." Silk threads enveloped her body and head, interlocking and hardening to form a solid, smooth white armor.

  ….

  "Agh..."

  'My head... my body... I hurt everywhere. Fire really is a weakness for me.'

  Scorched and wounded, Arthur stood up with great difficulty.

  He shook his head slowly, regaining a bit of crity as the ringing in his ears faded, only to be repced by the sound of crashing and splintering coming from behind him, drawing closer.

  "Dammit!"

  A look of terror appeared on his face as he instantly realized what was heading toward him.

  The earth trembled, and trees were sent flying. He moved his legs, trying to escape, but he was in a wretched state that prevented him from running; he could barely walk straight.

  His thoughts raced, and his emotions became a chaotic mix of anger, despair, fear, and even a primal urge to fight and confront the threat.

  He tried to activate the "Immortal Body" skill, but it was on cooldown and needed more time before it could be used again.

  Boom!

  Then, within a few short seconds, the Obsididrake reached him. Trees and the earth exploded near him, and the sun was blotted out by its massive, mountain-like body.

  The terrifying Obsididrake fixed its yellow eyes on him, opened its maw, and lunged, intending to swallow him whole in a single bite.

  Arthur froze in pce from sheer terror, no longer able to think of anything.

  For almost the first time, he was one hundred percent certain that he would die at this very moment.

  There was no hope, no struggle, not even a way to dey the inevitable—only a swift and final death.

  Boom!

  But suddenly, the spider woman appeared beside him, colliding with the Obsididrake like a living projectile.

  The winds exploded around them, violently throwing Arthur far away.