The Begotten Fiend

Chapter 20: Don’t Go Begging For Mercy

Each spider had fine, ghastly hairs as dark as the night. Dotting their heads were sixteen eyes, with great, sharp mandibles as long as blades. freewebnσvel.cѳm

They were constantly making a hissing sound, rubbing their wide, janky limbs together like I would with my hands.

"Zenith, you think this can be handled quick?"

[That I cannot say. Fight as you usually would.]

Figures.

I sighed, fisting my hands. Without thinking about it, I ran towards one of the spiders at random, collecting mana into my fist.

"Take this!" I roared, jumping directly to it. The air whirred as I released my fist in its direction--kicking up a storm of dirt and grass.

But once the storm settled, the spider wasn’t there. "What?"

A loud hissing noise came from just behind me. I turned around, and there it was--clicking its limbs together.

Instinctively, I activated Magic Sense. It was then that I noticed an abnormal amount of purple spiraling inside its jaws. It gained shape, but it was thin.

Without thinking about it, I leaped away from the spider. Little did I know, that was the right call. A long, piercing thread of mana jetted from its mandible like water.

Even it hissed in the air--steam rising from it.

It impacted a tree a little further back, and not only did the stream of mana maintain its shape, it punched straight through the tree. A huge, cylindrical hole jabbed through the tree’s root, allowing you to see the other side.

That would’ve been bad, had it hit me.

"Zenith, what was that?"

[That attack was made up completely of mana. When condensed enough, mana can mimic physical objects. In this case, it was condensed just enough to act as a liquid.]

I see. In that case, I just need to not get hit.

Three spiders followed suit, spewing out three jets of mana in my direction. I buckled, leaning back to my right. The one that’d been aimed at my head rushed past me.

I then planted my right heel into the ground, using it as a foothold. I spun counter-clockwise, avoiding the other two that shot for my torso.

That was close-- WOAH!

Dropping to the ground with all the haste I could find, I could just barely dodge one of the blasts--letting it graze my left shoulder.

"Gggrraaahhhh!" My shoulder throbbed with an intense ache. Looking at the cut, some lingering mana was festering--eating away at my skin.

It dissipated after a couple seconds, but by then, my attention had been stolen for long enough. Another five of the spiders’ attacks were aiming for me.

I bent down, then spun, then jumped, then swerved mid-air. It was close, but I’d managed to avoid them without a single scratch.

The hissing sound wasn’t for show. It was almost like it had a poisoning effect.

"Hey, Zenith, what was that just now?"

[After close analysis, it seems that their attacks have a poisoning effect. I am still unsure of how, meaning that I can’t neutralize it.]

’Makes sense. I’ll take it from here.’

After dodging several more of them, I ran towards another of the spiders at random. Taking extra care to keep my Magic Sense active, I watched its movements.

Again, it rubbed its limbs together. And there it was again--mana formulating from inside.

I see. I think I get it now.

Just as I’d gotten close, a ray drilled through the air, hoping to gut me. But it didn’t matter, I’d regained my composure.

Throwing my hand in the air ahead, I opened my palm. "Push!"

The mana fell apart without its maintained momentum, giving me the momentum I needed.

Unable to build up its attack in time, the spider leaped into the air, rubbing its hands at the same time.

Should I use Plunder? No, that’s too risky, I’m still not sure how strong this thing is. I think I have something better.

Stopping my feet, I simply looked up at it. "You’re not getting away!"

The air turned heavy. The ground beneath me keeled to my weight. The spider’s body seized, its eyes popping open.

It seems that Intimidation works even on those close to me in strength. Good to know.

Lowering myself to build as much energy in my knees as possible, I empowered my fist. Then, releasing it all, I dashed in the air--directly for the beast.

"Take this!" I yelled, punching it. Purple fluid rained down on me as my fist went straight through the spider’s gut.

I didn’t want to stay airborne for too long, so I turned around and put my arm opposite to the earth. "Push."

The force sent me back to the ground, allowing me to properly observe all the spiders.

The Intimidate took about a tenth of my mana. It’s not something I want to use wastefully, so I’ll target the ones closest to attacking me. That way, when they have to recover, they’ll have to face me head on.

I could see it with Magic Sense. There were varying degrees of power being gathered in each one. That meant that I could see which ones were most prepared to attack.

"You!" I darted ahead, fist to my side. A dozen flashes of mana shot towards me, but I danced around each, taking note of the spiders that shot them.

Now that I understood their ’tell’, it was only a matter of predicting when each would shoot their attack.

The spider was just feet from me. It jittered as it tried to used its little limbs, but I didn’t care.

"It’s too late!" I yelled, kicking the ground. The kicked up dirt caught the thing off guard, forcing it to rub its eyes. Then, using my leg that was still in the air, I pulled my leg down--heel sticking out to gain as much length as possible.

The spider’s head turned to mush from my power--falling beneath my heel and bleeding into the dirt.

I didn’t wait. I turned to the spider I’d mentally noted as the next in line, closest to preparing its next attack. It shuddered at my eye contact, but I rushed forth regardless.

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"Hah... Hah... Hah... Hah..." My hands were to my knees. My heart was beating so profusely that it was all I could hear.

And there it was--the last spider of the bunch. I already tore off its limbs. All that was left was its life.

"I saved you for last." I raised my hand in its direction, then called out. "Consume."

Flames ate up its soul, the creature’s incomprehensible cries providing me some satisfaction.

"Forty-eight. That’s how many of you pests went after me. Don’t go begging for mercy now."

[Foreign soul assimilated into yours. Checking status on skills.]

[Skill successfully foraged! Do you accept? freewebnσvel.cøm

Yes / No]

Of course I’ll hit yes.

[Acquired Basic Skill: Mana Control]