The smell of scorched flesh filled the air, but he didnât flinch. He stepped out of the smoke, his armor slightly scratched yet his eyes sharp as ever.
The Spider Queen shrieked again, sensing the death of her brood. Her massive body began to twitch and shift. Ethan stopped in his tracks, watching carefully.
"Whatâs this now?" he murmured, his eyes narrowing.
The Queenâs carapace began to crack slightly, shedding its hardened scales. As the thick layers fell, a new, darker shell formed underneathâsleeker and smoother. Her movements grew faster. The air itself vibrated as she dashed forward with terrifying speed.
Ethan barely managed to cross his sword in front of him before her leg came crashing down. The impact sent him sliding back several feet, his boots carving deep marks into the ground.
"Sheâs faster now," Ethan muttered through gritted teeth.
He now truly understood that the boss room was never meant to be a one man show.
The Spider Queen lunged again, her legs slashing like blades. Ethan ducked and twisted, countering with a heavy slash that cut into her side, but the wound was shallow. The monster hissed in rage and swung two more limbs toward him.
CLANG! CLANG!
Each strike made his arms tremble from the force. Ethanâs breathing grew heavier, but his eyes glimmered with excitement. "Now this is getting fun."
He stepped forward, his greatsword glowing faintly with aura.
CLANG!CLANG!
He slashed upward, sparks flying as he forced the Spider Queen back a few steps. Before she could recover, he lunged forward and thrust his blade toward her abdomen.
The attack was fast and precise, aiming to pierce through her defenses. But just as the tip of his sword was about to land, the Spider Queen did something unexpected.
Her head jerked forward, her jaw opening unnaturally wide. Rows of jagged, dripping teeth gleamed under the dim light.
SNAP!
Her mouth closed around the greatsword, biting down with terrifying strength. Ethanâs eyes widened as the metal groaned under the pressure.
"Damn!!" he cursed loudly, pulling at the hilt but its biting force wasnât a joke.It had grabbed so tightly that he wasnât able to pull it back.
"Thatâs totally out of the script!"
The Spider Queen growled, shaking her head violently as she tried to rip the weapon from his hands. Sparks flew as her fangs scraped against the blade. Ethan gritted his teeth, refusing to let go.
"Fine then," he said, his tone sharp. "You want to chew on this?"
His aura flared like a storm, dust swirling around his feet as he prepared to unleash everything he had left. The cavern trembled, and the battle between man and monster reached its boiling point.
Instead of pulling his sword back, Ethan made a move that completely shocked the Spider Queen. He tightened his grip on the hilt, and instead of retreating, he pushed forward with all his strength.
"Letâs see how you like this," he growled under his breath.
The Spider Queen shrieked, her entire body shaking violently as she tried to pull away. Her fangs scraped against the metal, creating a horrible screeching sound that echoed through the cavern. Ethan gritted his teeth, forcing his aura into the greatsword. The faint crimson light running along the blade suddenly flared bright, cutting through the thick saliva and acidic slime.
"GYAAHHHH!"
The Spider Queen screamed again, a chilling, ear-piercing cry that sent tremors through the ground. Her legs flailed, slamming against the rocks and sending chunks of debris flying everywhere. Ethan pushed harder, muscles bulging as he forced the sword deeper into her mouth.
"Go down already!" he shouted.
The swordâs tip sliced through the creatureâs inner jaw, and the Spider Queenâs head jerked wildly. Black blood poured down, hissing as it hit the floor. The air filled with the sharp stench of acid and burnt flesh.
In desperation, the Spider Queen opened her abdomen and spat a stream of acidic slime at him. Ethan didnât flinch. The thick layer of aura coating his sword glowed brightly, shielding the metal from corrosion. The acid splattered harmlessly off the blade, sizzling on the ground instead.
"Not enough," Ethan hissed, his voice low and steady.
The Spider Queen, furious and wounded, lifted several of her front legs to strike him. But the moment they came down, they met something solidâunmovable, like striking against an iron wall.
Ethanâs eyes glowed faintly. The faint shimmer of scales spread across his shoulders and arms, a result of his body tempering art and Draconic scales.
Each scale reflected the attack forming a defensive layer as hard as steel.
The monsterâs failed attack left her stunned for a heartbeat, and that was all Ethan needed.
His left hand clenched tightly, scales forming along his forearm, and the air around his fist trembled under the pressure. He drew back slightly due to which every muscle tightened and then drove his punch forward with all his might.
BOOOOOOOM!
The impact was devastating. A deafening explosion rang through the cavern, followed by a shockwave that rattled the stone walls.
The Spider Queenâs enormous head split apart under the force of the strike. Purple blood and fragments of flesh splattered across the cave, coating the ground and nearby rocks in a gruesome mess.
The creatureâs body convulsed once, twice, then went completely still. Its legs twitched weakly before collapsing, sending a cloud of dust into the air.
Ethan stood there, his chest rising and falling heavily, his hand still extended. The glow of aura slowly faded from his sword and scales while the Spider Queen body thrashed around brutally.
For a few seconds, there was only silence.
Then came the dripping sound of thick, dark blood oozing from what was once the Spider Queenâs head, pooling around her broken form.
The smell was vile, sharp, and suffocating.
Ethan slowly lowered his hand, his expression unreadable. "Thatâs for biting my sword," he murmured coldly, as his eyes reflected the dim, eerie glow of the dying monsterâs body.