The first clash between Harry’s Somnara and the spider?

  It went about as well as Isaac had expected. Even though the nightmarish creation nearly matched the Guardian in size, it was forced onto the defensive the moment the battle began. The spider was quick, way quicker than the amalgamation of flesh that Harry had spawned. Still, it served its purpose as a distraction.

  With the two new celestial bodies now lighting up the chamber, Isaac and Carmela dove toward their only enemy. Their true target? The beast’s legs.

  Cursed Draw enveloped Isaac’s form while several high-powered Crimson Deaths formed at his sides. Carmela, on the other hand, shifted back into her human form mid-dive and drew her own Root. Based on the almost blinding glow covering the weapon, the following attack was going to hurt.

  Or so they thought.

  The spider, which had seemed unaware of their approach, suddenly jumped high just as their attacks were about to land. It didn’t fall back to the ground, though. No, it somehow twisted its body and clung to the ceiling, defying gravity.

  Then it counterattacked.

  With an ear-shattering screech, the Guardian made the entire cavern tremble. The lava pits scattered across the floor erupted, spitting out miniature spiders made entirely of liquid flame and stone. There were dozens, or hell, maybe even hundreds of them.

  Shit, that was all Isaac managed to think before the horde descended upon him and his teammates.

  He dropped to the ground and transformed, the Root already in his hand, swinging.

  Good news? The miniature spiders died from just a single hit. Bad news? They all exploded upon death.

  The shockwave flung Isaac across the chamber. Only his quick reflexes allowed him to land on his feet. Unfortunately, that didn’t stop the spiders from coming at him.

  Melee is a no-go then. Got it.

  With a pull on his Viron, countless razor-thin Blood Daggers formed around him. This made the army of tiny spiders pause for a brief moment.

  It was the only opening he needed.

  Blade after blade left his side as his eyes darted left and right, up and down, aiming at every beast that dared to come close. As a result, they all burst into flames far away from him, giving him a few seconds to gather his thoughts and come up with a new plan.

  For now, the Guardian remained on the ceiling, its dozens of unblinking eyes fixed on the fighters below. Either it was just testing them or deciding if they were even a threat after that initial assault.

  Probably the latter, or so Isaac hoped.

  No matter, he thought and transformed again. Another salvo of daggers dealt with the spiders trying to follow as he shot toward the massive Guardian. To no surprise, it noticed him right away and opened its mouth.

  Yet, no lava came out this time, or at least not in the form Isaac had expected. Rather, a literal net of living flames shot toward him, one easily large enough to catch a beast twice his current size.

  He didn’t dodge.

  A blood-powered Crimson Death met the fire net head-on, tearing a hole in the middle. He slipped through the gap and continued toward the Guardian, Cursed Draw already igniting across his body.

  The spider, however, was far from idle.

  It screeched again and dropped from the ceiling with its blades and legs aimed right at Isaac. For all intents and purposes, there should have been only one winner of this clash.

  Only it never happened.

  Just as the two were about to collide, a violet orb slammed into the spider’s side, knocking it off course. The Guardian fell, crashing into the ground with enough force to shake the entire chamber. Its troubles didn’t end there, though.

  With the lava spiders almost dealt with, Somnara was free to charge at the recovering Guardian. Its massive blade came down, severing one of the spider’s legs clean off. That was, however, all the damage it managed to inflict before the Guardian surged back up on its remaining limbs.

  Its twin bladed arms flashed, and with a swing, it released two arcs of red glowing energy at Somnara. They cut straight through its raised blade and cleaved off a decent chunk of flesh from its body.

  All of it happened in barely two, maybe three seconds.

  Isaac dove again, flanked by a pair of Crimson Deaths.

  This time, though, the Guardian didn’t try to escape. Instead, it became a whirlwind of red, unleashing arcs of molten energy at every incoming projectile. Even Carmela’s golden bullets failed to reach it. The only upside was that Somnara got a moment to recover and regenerate.

  Thus, Isaac and Carmela pressed on.

  He dropped to the ground just as Burnout flared in his veins, combining with the power of the Blood Moon above his head. A Burst later, he appeared just a couple of feet away from the massive spider mid-swing. Cursed Draw met a molten arc head-on, both attacks canceling each other.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  On the other side, Carmela also struck, her form a little more than just a blur to his eyes.

  Together, they pushed the Guardian back for the first time. Yet, that still wasn’t enough for them to land a clean hit. A few shallow cuts and holes were all they managed, and those only made the beast more furious. Its strikes became faster, its molten arcs hotter.

  Then Somnara rejoined the battle.

  It came in like a wrecking ball, heading straight for the spider with just empty hands. Nothing could stop it. Not the three waves of molten energy that slammed into its torso, nor the two long blades that impaled it the moment the Guardian and the nightmare collided.

  I see, Isaac thought, and with a Burst dashed toward the wrestling pair. Sacrificial Cursed Draw.

  The wave of blood that left his blade carved into both Somnara and the spider, severing flesh and limbs alike. On the other side, multiple silver and gold explosions erupted, earning more pained shrieks from the Guardian.

  Let’s end this.

  Isaac pulled on more blood and Viron. Mana Surge also activated, delivering even more power to the skill forming in his left hand. He was about to deliver it with another Burst when Somnara, still clinging tight to the spider, began to glow fiery red from within.

  The Symphony screamed.

  Isaac spun and used Burst in the opposite direction.

  A moment later, Somnara exploded.

  Flames and molten rocks tore through the chamber. Isaac heard a short cry—Carmela’s—before the inferno swallowed him whole. Before it could do any real damage, though, it vanished, leaving only ringing in his ears.

  The hell was that? He gasped, searching for answers as the smoke and flames around him cleared. He didn’t have to look far.

  Somnara was gone, leaving not even ash behind. The Guardian, on the other hand? It was still alive, standing tall and proud right where it had destroyed Harry’s creation. That said, it didn’t look quite the same as before.

  The humanoid torso attached to its front was gone, as were the bladed arms. Now, the beast looked like a true spider, all made of pure magma. There were no signs of flesh anywhere on its body anymore. Worse, it had healed itself fully.

  Phase 2?

  Isaac rose, summoning Root of Blood back into his hand. He also took a quick look around, searching for Harry and Carmela.

  The woman was at the far side of the chamber, kneeling and cradling her left arm. To him, she appeared mostly unhurt. He should be able to hold off the beast until she recovered and could help him.

  Harry though…

  Nowhere to be seen. Now, it could be the work of his illusions, so Isaac didn’t jump to conclusions just yet. Not that he really had the time to even worry about his missing teammate right now.

  The Guardian moved.

  Isaac sighed.

  Maker’s Shell.

  His body liquefied on the spot, transforming him into the monster of blood. That didn’t stop the Guardian’s approach, though. Because why would it?

  Internally, Isaac grinned as the power of the Blood Moon, Burnout, and the Symphony fused with his new shell.

  Let’s play.

  A sidestep here. A roll there. Duck beneath a leg sharp enough to cleave steel. Lean away from molten fangs trying to rip the Core from his chest. Then use Burst to escape when he found himself cornered.

  It was a dance, a one-sided, deadly dance between them.

  Maybe the spider didn’t possess Carmela’s speed, but it more than made up for it with sheer strength and the coordination of its multiple limbs. Isaac tried again and again to slip past its defenses, to tear out a chunk of magma-flesh with his claws, but each attempt ended in failure.

  If he had full access to all his skills in this form, maybe he could have done more, but alas, his mastery of Maker’s Shell hadn’t come that far yet. For now, all he could do was dodge, defend, and regenerate. At some point, he even lost count of just how many times the spider cut off his hand or claw that regrew within seconds.

  One thing was certain, though. Isaac couldn’t keep this up forever.

  This wasn’t the Unregulated Quarantine on Reprizem, where monsters could barely touch him in this form. No, here, an injury came every few seconds, not minutes or hours.

  So really, he only had three choices. Run and live to fight another day. Keep buying time until help arrived. Or abandon this form and try something else.

  He considered the third option until something in the corner of his vision caught his attention.

  He smiled.

  The final dance.

  Isaac pulled on every drop of blood within his Core, feeding it into Maker’s Shell and Burnout. The world slowed just a tiny bit, and for the first time, he went on the offensive.

  When a leg the size of a tree trunk swung toward him, he didn’t dodge. Didn’t want to.

  Instead, he twisted aside and caught it mid-strike, both hands wrapping around it as best as they could. At the same time, the bloody talons on his feet dug into the floor for leverage.

  Then, with a roar, he pulled on the trapped limb.

  His arms cracked, splinters forming along the crimson flesh of this form. Yet they all healed just as quickly as they arrived. He had to succeed here; there was no other way.

  He even pulled harder.

  The spider finally stumbled.

  “Now!” Isaac yelled.

  At once, five human-sized nightmares of flesh climbed out of the ground, each one wrapping itself around a leg of the spider. The Guardian shrieked and tried to stab them with its two free legs, but neither Isaac nor the monstrosities yielded.

  It hurt, though. Hurt like hell to hold onto something made of molten rock, feeling his flesh burn and rebuild itself again and again as the creature thrashed.

  But it wasn’t for nothing.

  A familiar shrill whistle split the air a moment later. That was followed by a bullet of purple plasma that tore through the spider’s carapace and burned a hole straight through its body. The projectile didn’t explode at the end, though, not this time.

  Good job, Isaac thought, the beast’s pained screech ringing in his head. It wasn’t dead, but it was close. And to finish...

  He released the spider’s leg and reached inward, grabbing a decent portion of the blood that formed Maker’s Shell. Then he canceled the skill, forcing the gathered liquid into his now-human hand that he thrust toward the creature’s head.

  “Obliteration.”

  Red and black blood erupted from his hand, swallowing the front of the spider, and with it, the screeches. A heartbeat later, the skill ended, and the beast dropped to the ground, its head massacred beyond recognition.

  [Magma Queen (LVL. 52) slain.]