The glow from the runes had barely faded when a sharp, bone-snapping crack echoed through the stone wall.

Ka—

Ka-ka-ka…

A second later, the entire wall split open with a violent shudder. Chunks of stone tumbled down in a gritty cascade.

BOOM!!

Dust exploded outward, revealing a narrow, jagged fissure—twisting and uneven, like a tunnel clawed out by some burrowing beast.

Ethan's eyes lit up.

"An exit!"

He lunged toward it like a drowning man grabbing a rope.

After a quick scan confirmed no immediate threats inside, he called out, "You two—back inside me, now!"

Auri and Idra nodded without hesitation, their bodies dissolving into streaks of light that flowed into Ethan's core.

He compressed his form, crouched low, and slipped into the tight passage, wriggling forward like a serpent through the earth.

The tunnel was a winding mess—sometimes wide enough to crawl, sometimes barely enough to squeeze through. The air was thick with the scent of damp soil and rot, like wet clay mixed with something older, fouler.

He crawled for what felt like forever, inching forward in the dark.

Then—finally—a soft glow filtered in from ahead.

Ethan burst through the surface, collapsing onto dry stone with a gasp, lungs heaving.

He'd emerged into a secluded mountain valley, quiet and still. The ground was littered with brittle grass and jagged stone spires, like the bones of the earth left to bleach in the sun.

In the distance, he could just make out the silhouette of Sol'Rakka's main city—its massive form half-swallowed by the desert, like a beast sleeping beneath the dunes.

Ethan ducked behind a cluster of rocks, eyes locked on the city, preparing to move in—

Hummmm—

The air behind him rippled.

A strange, pulsing energy spread through the space like a drop of ink in water.

Then, from a glowing rift in the air, a figure stepped out.

At first glance, she looked like a woman—tall, graceful, wrapped in fire-red silk that clung to her curves.

But then she turned her head.

And Ethan's stomach dropped.

Her face was a spider's—massive, chitinous, and grotesque. Eight crimson eyes locked onto him, gleaming with malice.

"Outsider…"

Her voice was a rasp, like something being squeezed from deep inside her abdomen.

"You're not of Sol'Rakka. Why are you here? Speak—now—or I'll tear you apart."

BOOM—

BOOM-BOOM!!

Scarlet energy erupted from her body, sweeping outward like wildfire. In an instant, Ethan was surrounded, the flames curling around him like a cage.

Before he could react, the air tore open again.

Black rifts split the sky, and from them poured a swarm of spiders—small, fast, and countless. They spiraled together in midair, forming a writhing tide of legs and fangs.

Ethan's eyes narrowed.

He slid back a step, inhaled sharply—and unleashed his power.

Golden light burst from his body like a geyser.

Above him, a massive golden dragon took shape, its wings unfurling with a sound like the sky tearing in half.

HUMMMM!

"ROOOAAARRR!!"

The dragon's roar shattered the air.

The spider-woman sneered.

She let out a shrill, alien screech.

The swarm above twisted, spiraled, and fused—forming a colossal spider-shaped phantom that lunged straight at the golden dragon.

BOOM!!!

The two titans collided in midair.

The shockwave cracked the valley floor, sending tremors through the mountains. Ripples of force spread like waves, distorting the very air.

Ethan's heart pounded.

She was stronger than he'd expected. Much stronger.

No time to hold back.

He reached into his coat and pulled out the golden energy orb—the one he'd refined from the Sky Citadel's core.

His most powerful weapon.

And his last resort.

Without hesitation, he hurled it.

The moment it left his hand, the spider-woman's eyes widened.

All eight of them.

"No—!"

She tried to retreat, summoning a massive spider phantom to shield her.

But the orb had already locked on.

It curved through the air like a guided missile and slammed straight into her abdomen.

BOOOOOOMMMMMM—!!!

The explosion tore the valley apart.

Golden light erupted like a sun being born underground. The blast ripped through stone and air alike, sending shockwaves that flattened everything in a hundred-yard radius.

The spider-woman was hurled backward, her body crashing into the earth with a thunderous impact, carving a deep trench through the rock.

The valley was now a crater.

Ethan didn't give her a second to recover.

He charged forward, hands blazing with energy. He conjured orb after orb, hurling them down into the pit like meteors.

BOOM!

BOOM-BOOM!!

BOOM!!!

Each blast deepened the crater, turning it from a wound into a chasm. Smoke, debris, and raw energy churned together, shaking the ground like the earth itself was groaning.

When Ethan finally approached the edge, the spider-woman was barely clinging to life.

Her eight eyes flickered weakly, the glow in them fading. She tried to move—tried to lift her head—but her limbs wouldn't respond.

Ethan was just about to finish her off—

—when the sky exploded.

BOOOOM!!!

A jagged rift tore open in the clouds, glowing fire-red. From it, another spider-woman plummeted like a meteor, slamming into the ground with a shockwave that cracked the valley floor.

She was taller than the first, her limbs long and whip-thin, with strands of flame-colored silk cascading over her shoulders. But her spider face—twisted in rage—was unmistakable.

The moment her eyes landed on the broken body in the crater, her fury ignited.

"Outsider! You dared harm my sister?! You're dead!"

Her power detonated.

BOOM!!!

A storm of red energy erupted from her body, sweeping across the valley like a tidal wave. Ethan was caught in it instantly, the force slamming into him so hard he felt his bones scream.

And this one—this one was on a whole different level.

Embedded in the center of her forehead was a blood-red gem, pulsing with a power so vile it made his soul recoil. The energy leaking from it wasn't just strong—it was hateful. Ancient. Like it had been distilled from centuries of malice.

Ethan didn't hesitate.

If he stayed, he'd die.

He launched himself into the air, wings flaring, and shot backward at full speed, retreating across the valley in a blur of gold.

Only when he'd put a good distance between them did he realize—

She wasn't chasing him.

Frowning, he glanced back.

And froze.

The new spider-woman had dropped to her knees at the edge of the crater.

And she was eating her sister.

Not metaphorically.

She was tearing into the corpse with her fangs, ripping flesh and chitin apart, devouring it like a starving beast.

Ethan's mind blanked.

It was too grotesque. Too surreal. Too wrong.

He didn't even think to run. He just stood there, watching from afar, unable to process what he was seeing.

Then—

THUMP!!!

Her body flared with blinding red light. Power surged from her like a volcanic eruption, thick and cold and soul-sickening.

She had absorbed every last drop of her sister's strength.

She threw her head back and laughed, the sound echoing through the valley like a war drum.

"HAHAHAHA! I've done it!"

"Tier 25!"

Her voice rang with triumph, madness, and hunger.

"In just a little while, I'll enter Sol'Rakka's main city… and become the true—Desert Queen!"

...