Chapter 55: The Eternal Snare Shattered.

A short while ago.

The destination Belgram, vice commander of the Mantis Legion, headed toward was a massive cavern carved deep into a cliff face.

“For what reason has the Mantis Legion’s vice commander graced this place with his presence?”

Pure white threads were tangled throughout the cavern.

From atop a bed woven entirely of those threads, a woman lifted her head.

“Belgram greets the Spider Queen.”

Belgram knelt on one knee and offered a respectful salute.

The being known as the Spider Queen.

A beautiful yet unsettling fusion of human and spider, her name was Arachne.

She was the third legion commander of the Vermis forces and the commander who led the Spider Legion.

“I have a matter for which I seek your cooperation.”

“Hm. It has been quite a long time since the Mantis Legion requested cooperation. Speak.”

“Well, that is….”

With Arachne’s permission granted, Belgram moved straight to the point.

A single Mantis Legion unit and its division commander had been killed.

Karmaks, dispatched to hunt down the culprit, had not only failed to capture them but had been injured as well.

There was little reason to hide it.

In any case, it was information that would soon reach Arachne regardless.

“Oh? Interesting.”

Arachne’s languid expression subtly twisted.

To think a being existed with enough strength to injure Karmaks.

Given the pact, it could not have been foreign divine envoys.

Which meant the culprit was a native of this land.

Indeed, this place was entertaining.

Like an onion, no matter how much one peeled, something new continued to appear.

“Very well. I will cooperate.”

Most of her forces had already departed to search for the Dragon Lair.

Even so, there were still more than enough troops remaining to lay a trap.

Arachne decided to lend them.

“My thanks. Lord Karmaks will be greatly pleased by the Spider Queen’s cooperation.”

Thus began the alliance between mantis and spider.

A ‘trap’ meant to capture Archelon began spreading throughout the eastern forest.

Sasat, sasasasa-sat.

Presences sliced rapidly through the forest.

Their speed was astonishing.

『Keron. Prepare for combat.』

Gurrrrr.

A red haze flickered from Archelon’s new core.

“Zzzzt!”

“Zzaaak!”

Fwoooosh!

Creatures burst out from the bushes.

They were spiders with sleek, muscular bodies.

「Giant Wolf Spider, Lv 192」

「Giant Wolf Spider, Lv 195」

「Giant Wolf Spider, Lv 188」

Their name was Giant Wolf Spider.

Their short-haired bodies bore gray, brown, and black camouflage patterns, and eight large eyes arranged in two rows granted them excellent vision.

“Whoa. Th-those are spiders.”

“Kyaa! They’re disgusting.”

Caught off guard by their sudden appearance, Bellerin and I recoiled.

Mantises at least appeared somewhat elegant.

Spiders, however, were repulsive from the outset.

“Zzaaak!”

“Zzzzt!”

More than twenty Giant Wolf Spiders surrounded Archelon, hissing.

Ziiiiing.

Archelon did not flinch.

『Combat stance Lv three. Activating mid combat mode.』

Kiiik.

Click.

Ziiiiing.

Grrr!

Intense mana surged from its entire body.

The adamantium panels covering its limbs thickened further.

『Beginning enemy annihilation.』

Just as Archelon was about to move.

“Zzaaaah!”

“Zzak!!”

The wolf spiders’ behavior abruptly changed.

They zigzagged erratically.

Then, at high speed, they scattered and vanished in all directions.

『Keron…?』

Even Archelon sounded momentarily confused.

“What?”

“I can’t tell what their objective is….”

An unsettling feeling crept in.

‘Tell the Shadow Wolves to wait even farther away.’

『Keron. Understood.』

The Shadow Wolves had already been stationed far from the eastern forest to transport the Lili Tribe if they were found.

Even so, driven by unease, I ordered them to pull back even farther.

『Keron. Resuming search.』

‘Yes. Proceed more cautiously.’

Archelon continued its exploration.

This time, it followed the direction indicated by the rescued Lili Tribe chief, where the queen was said to be.

After some time, it arrived at a location bearing clear traces of the Lili Tribe.

『Keron. Barrier detected. Confirmed as Lili Tribe barrier.』

“Oh, did you find them?”

“That’s a fairly large tribe. The queen might really be there!”

『Attempting contact wi—』

At that exact moment.

An ominous wind swept through the area.

Ssssss.

The forest backdrop warped.

Then—

Tzztzzt.

Mantises emerged from empty air.

「Giant King Mantis, Lv 191」

「Giant Broad Abdomen Mantis, Lv 189」

「Giant Shield Mantis, Lv 195」

「Giant …….」

Every last one of them was a mantis.

“Th-their stealth technique…!”

As Bellerin’s shocked voice rang out.

“Khehehehe. To meet you here, what extraordinary luck. A chance to earn merit has come.”

A single figure stepped forward.

「Zalares」

「Second Division Commander of the Mantis Legion」

「Lv 251」

An insectoid blending mantis and human.

Far stronger than Cresar, whom Archelon had captured before.

A level comparable to Archelon before its recent growth.

He bore a title, and his armaments were formidable.

Char, charrt.

A pair of antennae swayed toward Archelon.

“Hm? Stronger than I heard. Still… it changes nothing.”

He grinned, baring sharp, shark-like fangs that glinted in the sunlight.

“Silvaner!”

At his call, another insectoid revealed herself.

「Silvaner」

「Fourth Division Commander of the Spider Legion」

「Lv 241」

“Relax. I was just about to begin.”

She snapped her fingers.

“Activate Eternal Snare.”

Immediately—

“Zzaaak.”

“Zzaaaah!”

“Zzzzt!”

Spiders burst from the ground, drilling through the earth and spewing webs from their abdomens.

「Giant House Spider, Lv 181」

「Giant House Spider, Lv 185」

「Giant House Spider, …….」

Their species was House Spider.

The webs spread outward, forming a dome-shaped prison.

The Eternal Snare.

A fortress-like cage said to be impossible to escape once trapped.

“Hahaha. Yes. This is perfect.”

Zalares laughed loudly.

This was a complete dead end.

Escape was impossible.

“Just watch out for the pressure skill.”

He relayed Belgram’s warning.

Both checked the slime coating their faces.

A secretion that reinforced a mental barrier.

“Uh… isn’t this bad?”

Watching through the probe, I could not hide my anxiety.

“Chuu-chuu!”

“Popooo.”

Chuchu and Popo fidgeted as well.

Only Dania remained calm.

『Dania believes in Archelon! It will scold them!』

What did she see to be so confident?

Then—

The battle began.

“Samaaaat!”

“Samat!!”

“Zzzik!”

“Zzaaak!”

Mantises and spiders surged forward like a tidal wave.

“Kahahahahaha! Capture it alive!!”

Zalares charged in, roaring with laughter.

“If we capture it alive, we’ll split the merit evenly.”

Silvaner spoke while already calculating the spoils of victory.

Amid the overwhelming pressure.

Archelon’s eyes flared brightly.

『Archelon. Enemy combat power analysis complete.』

『Activating combat stance Lv four.』

Ziiiiiiiing.

Grrrrrrrr.

Mana circuits engraved across Archelon’s outer armor erupted with crimson light.

From the energy core, a violent surge of red power roared outward.

Kwaaaaaa!

It looked as though Archelon itself were wreathed in flames.

Ziiiing.

Click.

Barrels embedded in its shoulders and arms extended outward.

At the same time, powerful magical energy emitters were revealed in its hands and feet.

『Preparing bombardment.』

The red energy flowing from Archelon’s eyes shifted to violet.

Flash—!

Kwaaaaa—!!

Violet flames erupted explosively from the barrels.

Kwagagagagagagagaga—

Kwaaaaaaang!!

The straight-firing violet laser erased everything in its path and slammed into the wall of the Eternal Snare.

Kuuuuuuung—

A massive vibration shook the entire area.

An overwhelming pressure descended, crushing everyone present.

“Uh….”

Zalares froze mid-charge.

He was not alone.

Silvaner, along with all the mantis and spider soldiers, stood frozen in shock.

“This is impossible….”

A stunned groan escaped Silvaner’s lips.

With a single attack, one fifth of their forces vanished.

That this small golem had displayed power rivaling a legion commander left them speechless.

“N-no, it was only once! That must have been a single decisive strike…!”

Thud.

Kwaaaaa—!!

Reality denied, Zalares shouted.

In response, Archelon’s barrels roared again.

Kwagagagagagaga.

Kwaaaaaaang!!

The laser engulfed Zalares and detonated against the Eternal Snare once more.

“Ah….”

Silvaner’s legs gave out, and she collapsed.

What she saw—

Zalares’s upper body erased as if wiped away.

Even the Eternal Snare, which she had believed unbreakable, now had a massive hole torn through one wall.

The destruction was incomprehensible.

‘What… is this thing.’

That was her final thought.

Violet light filled her vision.

Her consciousness faded.

“Niiiice!!”

“As expected! It’s Archelon!!”

『Archelon, strong!!』

“Popo!”

“Chuchuchu!”

We leapt to our feet, cheering.

Contrary to my fears, Archelon had demonstrated absolute dominance.

The mantis and spider commanders vanished in a single exchange.

Hundreds of giant mantises and spiders were annihilated without a single escape.

Overwhelming combat power.

“Was a difference of twenty levels really that big?”

“Levels matter, but swapping the core mattered even more.”

With its core replaced, Archelon’s output had skyrocketed.

Its combat power rose accordingly.

‘If combat stance level four is this strong… then level five might even contend with that legion commander.’

Archelon’s confidence had not been empty.

There was a reason it had volunteered for exploration.

As we savored victory, the rewards appeared.

「Archelon’s level has increased.」

「Archelon’s level has increased.」

「Archelon’s level has increased.」

「Archelon’s level has increased.」

「Lv 270 → Lv 274」

Four levels gained at once.

『Keron. Collecting loot.』

「Giant Spider Hide Fragment x one hundred twenty one」

「Giant Spider Venom Fang x one hundred sixty three」

「Giant King Mantis Carapace Fragment x one hundred one」

「Giant Broad Abdomen Mantis Carapace Fragment x one hundred fifty two」

「Giant Shield Mantis Carapace Fragment x …….」

A massive haul of materials.

「Top Grade Mana Stone x two hundred one」

「High Grade Mana Stone x two hundred twenty three」

Even more mana stones than before.

“We were just running low. This is perfect!”

Bellerin’s eyes sparkled with delight.

“I’ll work even harder on the dimensional amplifier and other equipment, Master!”

Her determination was obvious.

And the loot continued.

「You have acquired ▲.」

「You have acquired ▲.」

「You have acquired ▲.」

「You have acquired ▲.」

Four ▲ fragments.

‘That makes five… I might be able to form one star.’

My eyes gleamed.

Instinct told me this resource would become extremely important.

“They were basically golden goblins.”

To leave behind such a gift.

At this point, their ambush almost felt welcome.

“Popo!”

“Chuchuchu!”

Popo and Chuchu returned with heaps of Shine Muscat grapes, cherry tomatoes, kiwis, Ice Frost Fruit, and Sun Flame Fruit.

“Oh, nice work.”

They had good instincts.

“Alright, everyone eat while you watch.”

As the exploration grew more exciting, we sat down with food in hand.

Huh?

Someone was missing.

Turning around—

“Hm. Is this how you do it.”

Whoosh. Whoosh.

Azkai slowly waved his hand through empty air.

“Azkai, what are you doing? Come eat.”

“Ah. Yes. Thank you.”

He stopped and sat beside me.

“You haven’t tried this, right? Ice Frost Fruit. It’s really good.”

“Yes. Thank you.”

I placed one in his hand.

Because of that—

I did not see it.

The change occurring in the empty air where his hand had been moving.

Ziiiing.

Chiiii.

Along with a tremor in space.

The faint distortion of empty air.