No one moved. Not even Madame. The webbed floor trembled faintly beneath their feet, not because of anything moving through it, but as though the structure itself were reacting to the man's presence. The air felt heavy and suffocating, filled with an invisible pressure that crushed their lungs and slowed their thoughts. A chill crawled up Kenzo's spine, his muscles tightening before he had even decided whether to move. Running was impossible. Not because they were surrounded, but because the man standing beside the cocoon radiated something far more dangerous than a simple threat. He radiated death. Conscious death. Death that watched, judged, and already seemed to savor what was about to happen. Even Madame, born of the Mist and accustomed to walking ahead of oblivion itself, remained motionless, her legs slightly bent, ready to spring yet unwilling to make the first move.
The man slowly raised his head. His lips stretched into what might have been a smile if the saliva spilling from his mouth had not immediately destroyed any illusion of humanity.
— « I sensed you. »
His voice was deep and hoarse, roughened as though years of screaming into the Void had torn it apart.
— « Ever since you were standing above the crater. »
He drew in a long, noisy breath, almost as though tasting their scent.
— « I thought you were going to leave. »
A short, broken laugh escaped him.
— « I was even disappointed. »
He took a step forward, and the simple sound of his boot pressing into the webbing echoed throughout the entire structure.
— « But you came back. »
A sick gleam entered his eyes.
— « And now… I'm glad. »
A shiver passed through the group. Without looking away from him, Ophelia subtly shifted closer to Kenzo. Naty did the same, her movements measured and instinctive. Their lips barely moved.
— « Transfigured… » Ophelia whispered.
— « And not a newly Transfigured one, » Naty added. « He's far above us. »
Kenzo felt his stomach twist. The word struck his mind with brutal weight. Transfigured. In this world, it was more than a stage of power. It was a wall. An absolute boundary. He still remembered the Warden from his first test, how he had been forced to survive second by second, to deceive, endure, and accept being pushed to the edge of death before finally bringing him down. And yet that Warden had been a limited Transfigured, constrained by his role, his purpose, and the nature of his power. The man in front of them had no such restrictions. Kenzo knew it. He could feel it in his bones. There was an abyss between someone who had merely crossed into the Transfigured stage and someone who had already advanced within it, and that difference became even more terrifying when the person in question had lost all reason. This man was a Deviant. An old Deviant. A Deviant who had survived.
The man placed one hand against his chest, where the symbols carved into his dark armor seemed almost alive.
— « I was a Forest Knight. »
His voice trembled slightly, not with sorrow, but with sick excitement.
— « I swore loyalty to this place. »
He chuckled.
— « Then I betrayed it. »
He spread his arms wide.
— « I betrayed the forest. I betrayed my vows. »
An oppressive silence fell over them.
— « And I am the last. »
He tilted his head with almost ceremonial dignity.
— « Sir James. »
Kenzo felt his heart hammer against his ribs. This was not merely an enemy. James was a living remnant of a fallen age, a corrupted knight who had somehow survived the destruction of an entire world.
James turned away from them and slowly approached the cocoon. Every footstep echoed throughout the Palace of Webs as though the structure itself recognized its master. He placed a trembling hand against the translucent surface, and when he spoke again, his voice was almost gentle.
— « Wake up… »
The silk pulsed beneath his hand.
— « It's time. »
The cocoon convulsed.
Dark veins surged across its surface before a wet, nauseating crack tore through the chamber. The structure split apart, and a spider slowly emerged from within. Its body was massive and black, while its back was a brilliant white that stood out violently against the darkness around it. The tips of its legs seemed coated in gold, gleaming like sharpened blades. It was slightly larger than Madame, but the pressure radiating from it was entirely different—heavier, denser, crushing.
Lucian stepped back, unable to hide his panic.
Then the sensation struck Kenzo.
The heart.
It was there.
Dense. Crushing. Like a mountain pulsing with life.
— « It's Unstable rank… » he said, his voice tense.
Naty clenched her teeth.
— « Now I understand. »
She looked up at the creature.
— « That's how it managed to reach this place… and even leave the Mist behind. »
A brief silence followed.
— « It's a Deviant too. »
Two.
They were going to have to fight two Deviants.
James burst into laughter, a broken, twisted sound completely stripped of humanity.
— « Two… »
He ran his tongue across his lips.
— « Two against five. »
His voice shook with excitement.
— « I can't wait to find out what you taste like. »
The fear in the chamber became almost suffocating.
Then Ophelia stepped forward.
Her blazing gaze never left James. When she spoke, her voice was cold and sharp, without the slightest trace of hesitation.
— « Don't count on it. »
She turned toward Kenzo, Lucian, and Madame.
— « Kenzo. Lucian. Madame. The spider is yours. »
Then she faced James again, her daggers already in hand.
— « He's ours. »
Lucian, who had remained frozen until then, felt his legs weaken beneath him. His knees trembled uncontrollably, his breathing becoming short and uneven. The pressure from the spider and from James struck him all at once, crushing whatever composure he had left. He was afraid. Not nervous, not unsettled. Afraid. A raw, paralyzing terror stronger than anything he had experienced until now.
Kenzo noticed immediately.
He did not hesitate.
He turned and slapped Lucian across the face.
The sharp crack echoed strangely throughout the vast chamber of silk.
Lucian stared at him in shock, tears already gathering at the edges of his eyes.
— « I'm sorry, Lucian, » Kenzo said, his voice hard but controlled. « I didn't want to do that… but I had to. »
He stepped closer and locked eyes with the blond boy.
— « If you can't focus, we die. »
His voice dropped, becoming heavier.
— « I need you for this. »
He gestured briefly toward Madame, then tapped his own chest.
— « Don't worry. Madame and I are here. We'll protect you. »
Kenzo had no intention of sacrificing himself for Lucian. He knew that perfectly well. But he needed him. He needed Lucian clear-headed, functional, capable of acting when the moment came.
The fear in Lucian's eyes wavered.
His legs were still trembling, but something inside him held on. His breathing gradually slowed. He drew in a deep breath, then nodded.
— « Alright… » he whispered, his voice still shaking.
The terror had not disappeared.
But now, he was ready to move forward despite it.