CHAPTER 84 — THE SPIDER AND THE VOID
The two of them were in trouble.
Zayn, still in his Citrolle form, was breathing heavily.
The blue flames covering his body flickered with every breath.
Across from him, Vera slowly raised all eight of her arms.
Her expression had changed.
She was no longer smiling.
— You two are stronger than I expected.
Yojuro tightened his grip around his sword.
His vision was becoming increasingly blurry.
The Kairos Eye was exhausted.
He had already pushed it too far.
— Zayn…
— Yeah?
— We need to finish this quickly.
Zayn looked at him.
— I know.
Vera suddenly spread her arms.
— Arachnid Dominion.
The air trembled.
A multitude of threads shot from her hands.
They were thin.
Almost invisible.
But the moment they touched the ground, they sliced through the stone.
Zayn's eyes widened.
— What the—
He jumped backward.
The threads followed him.
Yojuro moved at the same time, cutting through several of them with his blade.
CLANG!
The sword struck the threads.
But they didn't break.
Yojuro's expression changed.
— They're extremely tough.
Vera smiled.
— They're stronger than steel.
Another wave of threads rushed toward them.
Yojuro dodged to the side.
Zayn jumped over the first wave.
Then another.
Then another.
The battlefield quickly became covered in a gigantic web.
— She's turning the entire room into a trap! Yojuro shouted.
Vera laughed.
— Exactly.
She moved all eight of her arms simultaneously.
The threads changed direction.
They surrounded Zayn from every side.
— Zayn!
— I see them!
He tried to burn them with his blue flames.
The fire spread across the threads.
But they didn't burn.
Instead, the threads tightened.
— What?!
They wrapped around his arms.
Then his legs.
Then his torso.
Zayn struggled.
— Get off me!
The threads pulled violently.
WHOOSH!
Citrolle was suddenly dragged upward.
He crashed against the ceiling.
The web wrapped around his entire body.
Within seconds, he was completely trapped.
His body hung several meters above the ground.
Zayn pulled with all his strength.
The threads barely moved.
— Seriously?!
He tried again.
Nothing.
The metal-like threads refused to break.
Vera looked up at him.
— You're strong.
She smiled.
— But my threads are stronger.
Zayn growled.
— That's annoying.
Meanwhile, Yojuro was still fighting.
His breathing had become heavier.
His vision blurred again.
The Kairos Eye flickered.
He could barely distinguish Vera's movements.
— Damn…
Vera noticed.
— Your eye is failing.
Yojuro didn't answer.
She launched another group of poisoned threads.
Yojuro barely dodged.
One passed beside his face.
Another wrapped around his arm.
He immediately cut it before it could tighten.
— You're running out of time.
Yojuro lowered his sword slightly.
His breathing became slower.
He couldn't keep using the Kairos Eye like this.
Above him, Zayn continued struggling.
— YOJURO!
— I'm thinking!
— Think faster!
— I'm trying!
Vera laughed.
— You two are hilarious.
Suddenly—
BOOM!!
The entire room shook.
Vera stopped.
Yojuro looked toward the entrance.
A figure stood there.
Black clothes.
Long, spiky black hair that rose high above his head.
Bright blue eyes.
His expression was relaxed.
Almost amused.
Kai.
The young Paladin looked around the room.
His eyes moved upward.
He saw Yojuro.
Then he looked beside him.
His eyebrows rose.
— Yojuro…
He pointed upward.
— What's that thing next to you?
Yojuro stared at him.
— It's Zayn.
Kai blinked.
— …Zayn?
Citrolle growled from inside the web.
— YES!
Kai burst out laughing.
— HAHAHAHA!
Zayn's eye twitched.
— What's so funny?!
Kai looked at the giant pumpkin-headed creature hanging from the ceiling.
— You look ridiculous.
— I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!
— You're definitely Zayn.
Yojuro sighed.
— Kai…
Kai finally stopped laughing.
He looked at the web.
His blue eyes narrowed.
— Those threads…
Vera smiled.
— Don't bother.
— Why?
— They're harder than steel.
Kai looked at her.
Then at the web.
Then back at her.
He smiled.
— Okay.
He disappeared.
BOOM!
The floor cracked beneath his feet.
Vera's eyes widened.
Kai appeared directly beneath Zayn.
He raised his hand.
SWISH!
His fist cut through the air.
The threads snapped.
Zayn's eyes widened.
— WHAT?!
Kai continued moving.
Punch.
Slash.
Punch.
The threads broke one after another.
Not because Kai had a weapon.
He was using nothing but his bare hands.
His physical strength alone was enough.
CRACK!
CRACK!
CRACK!
The metallic threads finally broke apart.
Zayn dropped.
Yojuro also fell as the web around him was destroyed.
— WHOA!
Both of them landed on the ground.
Zayn hit the floor hard.
THUD!
Yojuro rolled once before getting back up.
Kai landed calmly between them.
He looked at Zayn.
— You're welcome.
Zayn stared at him.
— You could've done that earlier.
— You didn't ask.
— I WAS HANGING FROM THE CEILING!
Kai shrugged.
— I noticed.
Yojuro looked toward Vera.
— It's not over.
The atmosphere suddenly changed.
A cold pressure filled the room.
Vera looked toward the other side.
A strange distortion appeared in the air.
The space itself twisted.
A crack opened.
Something stepped through.
A tall figure emerged from the distortion.
The room became silent.
Vera smiled.
— Herco.
The newcomer looked at the three Paladins.
— Vera.
His voice was calm.
— You're taking too long.
Vera crossed her arms.
— I was having fun.
Herco raised one hand.
The space above them warped.
A massive circular distortion appeared.
Yojuro looked upward.
His eyes widened.
— Everyone…
Kai looked up.
— What?
A giant rock emerged from the distortion.
Then another.
Then another.
Meteorites.
Hundreds of them.
They appeared throughout the ceiling.
Zayn stared upward.
— You've got to be kidding me.
Herco smiled.
— Spatial Miracle: Astral Collapse.
The meteorites began falling.
BOOOOOOM!!
The entire room exploded into chaos.
Zayn threw himself to the side.
Yojuro jumped backward.
Kai punched one of the smaller meteorites.
BOOM!
The rock shattered.
Kai smiled.
— Not bad.
Another meteorite came.
He punched it too.
BOOM!
It exploded into fragments.
But there were too many.
Zayn's blue flames flickered violently.
His body was exhausted.
He could barely maintain his Citrolle form.
His roots trembled.
— I'm running out of energy…
Yojuro's vision became even blurrier.
The Kairos Eye was almost completely exhausted.
He could barely see the battlefield.
Vera's threads spread across the room again.
Herco continued opening spatial distortions.
Meteorites kept falling.
Kai remained standing.
But even he couldn't stop everything.
One meteorite slammed into the ground.
BOOOOOOM!
The shockwave threw Zayn backward.
Citrolle crashed into a wall.
His flames became weaker.
— Damn…
Yojuro leaned against his sword.
His breathing was heavy.
His vision was almost completely blurred.
— Zayn…
— Yeah?
— I can't keep using my eye.
Zayn looked at him.
Then toward Kai.
Then at Vera and Herco.
Two Djinns.
One with poisonous webs.
The other controlling space itself.
And all three Paladins were exhausted.
Zayn clenched his fists.
His blue flames flickered one last time.
Kai looked at him.
— You got another transformation?
Zayn looked down at Borealis.
The green device was still attached to his wrist.
He tried to activate it.
Nothing happened.
He pressed it again.
BEEP.
Nothing.
Again.
BEEP.
Nothing.
Zayn froze.
Aurora's voice sounded inside his mind.
— Transformation unavailable.
Zayn's expression darkened.
— What?
— Multiple transformations detected within a single day. Recovery required.
Zayn pressed Borealis again.
BEEP.
Nothing.
— Come on…
He pressed it harder.
BEEP.
Aurora continued.
— Estimated recovery time: seventeen hours.
Zayn stared at the device.
— Seventeen hours?!
He slowly looked toward Vera and Herco.
Then toward Yojuro.
Then Kai.
His shoulders dropped.
— …Fine.
He stepped backward.
— I'll leave them to you guys.
Yojuro looked at him.
— Zayn…
Zayn raised his hands.
— I'm out.
Kai smiled.
— Then we'll handle it.
Vera slowly raised her eight arms.
Herco lifted his hand.
The space around him began to distort again.
Yojuro tightened his grip on his sword.
His vision was almost gone.
Kai stepped forward.
The floor cracked beneath his feet.
And Zayn…
Could only watch.
The battle had just become even worse.