บท 35: Breakthrough in the Fight

Ethan's POV

A black chain with a streak of green flashed through the tangled web of the crevice, severing one of the legs of a enormous black spider towering at least five meters high. It screeched in pain, its malevolent red eyes flaring brighter like coals stoked in a forge.

In retaliation, it spat a long, thin white thread with lightning speed. I sidestepped the attack but another thread shot out instantly cutting off my retreat.

I ducked just in time with my instincts honed to react faster than thought. For the next few seconds, it became a deadly dance. Duck, sidestep, leap, I performed an endless sequence of actions against the relentless barrage of its sticky and venomous webs.

They left me no room to counterattack. Finally, the peak-grade 2 Umbra Spider on the verge of evolving into grade 3 hesitated. Exhaustion flickered across its monstrous form and it stopped spinning its web of death.

This was my opening. I surged forward but my soul sense warned me of a dangerous build up of energy within the spider.

Its stomach expanded grotesquely and I realized with dread it was preparing to unleash a barrage of corrosive webs. These webs weren't just sticky but they could even melt flesh and seep into bones and crippled any hope of escape for their prey.

Without hesitation, I extended my chain toward a nearby cliff. The crystal knife at the chain's tip embedded itself into the jagged obsidian rock face.

With a sharp pull, I propelled myself through the air skimming past the dense white streaks like a phantom or perhaps more aptly like the SpiderMan from my past life.

As I reached the peak of my swing, I hurled the chain again. This time its edge glinted ominously, the wind spell of the green crystal knife propelling it faster than the eye could follow.

It struck the lower abdomen of the Umbra Spider with a horrifying cutting noise tearing into its tough exoskeleton. The spider shrieked but I wasn't done and a second chain followed driving into the opposite side of its bloated stomach.

Muscles bulged on my arms, glowing faintly with a blue sheen as vine-like patterns etched themselves along my skin. With a guttural roar, I tugged the chains hurling the massive spider into the unforgiving mountain wall.

The sheer speed of the impact almost shattered its body as many of its legs broke but the monstrous creature clung stubbornly to life. Its legs twitched and its abdomen expanded again in a final desperate gambit forming in its dying moments.

But I wouldn't let it. Leaping from my vantage point, I summoned a dark orb of energy into my palm. Within its inky surface, small jagged blades of ice crisscrossed forming an intricate core of destruction.

Drawing deep from the mana veins in my right arm, I funnelled energy from the dark dimension within me. My arm swelled with power and dark veins surfaced pulsing like thick earthworms beneath my skin, interwoven with flashes of icy blue light.

In a fraction of a second, the orb grew to the size of a human head. With all the strength I could muster, I unleashed it like a cannonball.

BOOM.

The orb struck the Umbra Spider before it could release its final attack erupting with an explosion of pure destruction. The spider's massive body was blown apart into chunks of flesh which rained down in the surroundings.

Its legs and abdomen were shredded into frozen fragments scattering like the remains of a shattered statue. The dark ice radiated an eerie chill trapping the pieces in glistening frost.

But victory came at a cost. The veins in my right arm began to bleed profusely as the recoil of my attack ripping through my body.

Gritting my teeth, I grabbed a green potion from my belt and poured it over my wounded arm. The liquid hissed on contact with the sound of sizzling flesh mixing with the sharp sting of pain. Moments later, the bleeding ceased replaced by a comforting numbness.

Despite the agony, a triumphant grin spread across my face. I could feel my body's toughness surging, the icy energy in the atmosphere pouring into my muscles, sinews, and bones like a tide.

I wasted no time. Dropping into a cross-legged position, I focused inward, channelling the energy that now flowed through me. This was the moment I had waited for over the past three years. I had finally broken through to the second layer of the Arctic Sovereign Immortal Body technique days after my sixteenth birthday.

Master Nyx's preparations, like the cutting of the icy peak for my training place had been vital.

After nearly a year of arduous training, I had managed to reach the first layer of the technique. Yet, despite my relentless efforts, I had remained stuck at its peak unable to push further.

But now, in this battle against the formidable Umbra Spider, the apex predator of this lower stretch of the Ebonspire Peak I had finally done it.

Master Nyx had always emphasized that real growth came from fighting real battles and that true progress required risking everything in battle. Unlike the mages who lived in luxury in the sprawling cities their skills dulled by comfort, I had honed mine in fire and blood.

"Complacency," she often said, "is the enemy of progress. Only by facing danger head-on, by seizing opportunities in the heart of chaos, can you truly ascend."

As the icy energy surged within my body, I couldn't help but reflect on the Shadowfrost Nova the devastating technique that had obliterated the spider. This was the evolved form of the dark orb I had once demonstrated to Master during my training two years ago.

The inspiration for such a creation had struck me four or five years ago and it was a blend of the mortar shells and RPGs from my past life. Back then, it was little more than a crude idea in my head. It wasn't until Master's guidance that I had refined and shaped it into the powerful magic technique it had become today.

Even so, it was far from perfect. The recoil I had suffered in this battle was a stark reminder of its flaws. Master had always said that refinement was the essence of mastery and I knew she was right.

Future iterations of the Shadowfrost Nova would need better control perhaps something akin to the guided missiles I remembered from my previous life. Precision, control and a reduction in self-inflicted strain were my goals for its evolution.

Thinking of Master, a surge of excitement coursed through me. With renewed determination, I gathered my magic power channelling it outward. Two dark wings unfurled from my back, their inky edges shimmering faintly with traces of icy blue.

With a single, powerful beat, I ascended soaring higher up the mountain toward my abode.