“Tap, tap, tap…” The sound of hundreds of footsteps running across thick roots and rocks echoed like a dreadful symphony.
As those eyes drew closer, the distinctive metallic legs of hundreds of arachnids slowly emerged.
They were not much larger than an ordinary dog…
But there were many of them.
An almost incalculable number crawled across the roots, climbing the rocks and the ceiling.
The cave entrance looked like a portal leading into the abyss.
And from it emerged the deepest terror these young people had ever faced.
Each arachnid had distinct characteristics.
Some had fur of various colors, while others had scales, but one characteristic remained the same.
Those damn eyes…
It’s as if they know exactly what they’re doing.
Analyzing, searching, and choosing their prey.
Kair’s thoughts raced as he listened to Cassian bark orders.
“Lineages with defensive transformations, form a line at the front!
Wolves, protect the flanks, and serpents, slip through the formation and support whoever needs it!
Those capable of flight, prevent them from coming from above!” The young lion’s words were precise and demonstrated a deep knowledge of the other lineages.
In a chaotic manner and with little experience, the young people began running around and bumping into each other as they tried to form a battle formation.
But Cassian knew.
This would only improve the situation slightly.
It was obvious that the young people had lowered their guard and were exhausted from their battles on the way to the camp.
They aren’t an army of lions like back home.
They’re young people like me, desperately fighting to live.
Cassian’s thoughts were interrupted when he finally saw it.
They had arrived.
On the other side of the cave, Rovan was carrying a member of the deer lineage on his back.
His antlers were enormous, but he had a deep wound across his back.
Soon, they saw a light at the end of a tunnel.
Half a dozen wolves were with dozens of wounded on the other side of the passage.
The roots in this region were scarce and seemed to descend toward a devastated plain, but even so, crimson flowers were spread across the area.
However, unlike the other side of the passage, they had no webs binding them.
It was almost as if it were another region entirely.
The sky was clear, without the clouds of smoke, but it seemed brighter.
Like the end of the night.
They had already been inside the Fracture for many hours.
Damn it.
If it weren’t for this surge of creatures, the elders’ plan of leaving support here would have reduced the casualties to the lowest in history.
Now I have no idea how many wolves will survive…
“Rovan, the perimeter has been secured.
We identified some lizard-like creatures on the plain, but they all seem to be asleep or hibernating,” another, probably a member of the Ironfangs, judging by the similar ears, reported calmly.
“Good.
A few more groups of wounded and we can go help the people who stayed behind.
Let’s keep some here to keep an eye on those lizards.” With a nod, the young wolf moved.
As soon as Rovan set the deer down, a worried voice reached his ears.
“Boss…
You need to see this.
I think I have some bad news.” Another member of the Ironfangs, this time a she-wolf wearing a slightly broken pair of glasses, called out to Rovan.
He followed the voice to the exit of the tunnel they had passed through and looked to the side.
A runic circle similar to the one he had pressed to open the passage was carved into the rock.
Most likely, this was the runic circle that closed the passage.
The only problem was that, across its entire surface, there was a massive claw mark.
As large as a small house.
The mark had destroyed the runic circle and left a scorched discoloration, as if the rock itself had melted upon contact.
Holy shit…
Even if we evacuate everyone, those arachnid creatures will still pursue us.
The realization made what little hope remained in Rovan fade away, but even so, he kept himself standing and began running to evacuate the other wounded.
Cassian must have a solution.
This place was created by the lions…
There is no way they don’t know.
Right?
“Ahhhh!” The first scream, and the last, from a young man with a turtle shell marked the beginning of the massacre.
The clash came with the deep chaos of hundreds of young people from different lineages and with different powers colliding with arachnid creatures of various variants.
Claws slashed, fangs poisoned, fire was spat, and ice was launched.
Every element, even the rarest ones such as light and darkness, took shape in the cacophony of death.
Among all the lineages was Kair.
His chest heaved, and viscous blood dripped from his metal claws.
In the middle of hell, a creature was thrown nearby, and he managed to pierce straight through its center with his armored fingers.
[Creature ???] [Eliminated] A screen appeared in the corner of his eyes.
So even the system can’t identify them?
Throughout the Asteria Empire, there was a system that appeared when you underwent the Lineage Ceremony.
Many called it by different names, and its function was not merely to measure one’s progress.
As the centuries passed, it became integrated throughout the empire as one of its vital functions.
One of those functions was declaring when an enemy had died and identifying what that enemy was.
“Great.
Even the system doesn’t know what the hell these creatures are.” Kair’s words disappeared beneath the battle cries and the deathly gasps of the various young people.
However, Kair began to notice something strange.
Seconds passed, and not a single creature attacked him.
Nothing.
Some eyes consumed by madness glanced at him before immediately leaping toward another young person near Kair.
Don’t tell me…
No fucking way.
They don’t care about devouring me because, to them, I’m not even worth a meal?
A strange feeling arose within Kair.
Something like denial and pure disdain.
Who were these abominations to look down on him like this?
The heat he had felt when he stood before the training dummy seized him once again.
That same rage, but now with a very specific purpose.
“If you don’t want to notice me, then I’ll give you a reason you won’t be able to look away from me!” Kair’s body began to move.
He ignored the creatures that had scales or extremely tough protections.
He didn’t have the strength of a lineage.
A little farther ahead, a wolf with dark fur had been intercepted by one of these spiders.
It had green fur covering its entire body, with several vines growing from it.
The young wolf was desperate beneath the creature.
Even with his transformed claws, he couldn’t free himself from its metallic legs.
Distracted!
Right on the spider’s ass.
It’s huge.
If I aim between the vines…