Infinite Dendrogram - Volume 15 - Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-One: The Blades and Shields of Altar

About a certain knight...

There were rumors that a Paladin of the Royal Guard, Theodore Lindos, held a disdain for Masters.

This was because he disliked when Masters got involved in the kingdom’s affairs, and he made no effort to hide it. Behind his back, some of the Altarian nobility called him petty and small-minded — especially compared to Liliana Grandria, who was willing to cooperate with Masters even after one of them killed her father.

Of course, some would take Theodore’s side, but the real problem was that they had all misunderstood his stance on the matter.

He didn’t hate Masters — he hated himself.

Some time ago, the knights had been the true protectors of Altar, and standing above them all were the Paladins of the Royal Guard — an elite group often called a cornerstone of the kingdom. Theodore had looked up to them since childhood and had spent much of his life training to become a worthy Paladin.

However, soon after he had finally achieved his dream, the world drastically changed. Countless Masters entered the stage, and the balance of power was warped beyond recognition.

Powerful monsters that had once required an entire order of knights to bring down could now be crushed by a single Master.

The world was changing so fast it made him dizzy, and what disgusted Theodore the most was...his own weakness.

He simply didn’t have the talent he so desperately needed. This might sound like nothing more than an excuse to give up, but in Theodore’s case, it was anything but.

Theodore had truly reached his limit — the point he could never grow beyond, no matter how much effort he exerted.

This fact was represented by several cold, hard numbers: one high-rank job and three low-rank jobs for a total level of 250. That was where he was, and it was the point beyond which he could go no further.

Theodore had reached maximum level.

Unlike Masters, tians had clear-cut individual differences in talent, represented by level limits that most of the time fell below the maximum of 500. Though he had managed to become a Paladin, his lack of innate talent made it impossible for him to grow any stronger.

At first, he refused to accept that this was the full extent of his ability.

More and more Masters were appearing in Altar, some of which were criminals like the princess-snatching Sechs Würfel.

Theodore had to grow stronger to protect his kingdom — but no matter how much blood, sweat, and tears he put into it, he just couldn’t raise his level beyond 250.

It took some time for him to accept the level limit, but once he did, he began directing his efforts towards other ways of becoming stronger.

Since his base power was inadequate, he chose to make himself more versatile by taking low-rank jobs that gave him more utility skills. Through that process, he even managed to gain the Paladin’s Purifying Silverlight and Grand Cross abilities.

On top of that, he learned how to “stack” his Grand Crosses — in other words, to use them at the exact same time as his fellow Paladins.

He did indeed grow stronger this way, and soon it was time to put his strength to the test.

Altar had entered a war against Dryfe. To him...no, to all living knights of the kingdom...this was the first major conflict with an outside force they had ever experienced.

Despite that, he stood ready to protect his homeland.

The knight’s power was the kingdom’s blade, while the knight’s body was its shield.

Every knight was taught those words, and with that oath in his heart, he stood on the battlefield...only to fall without contributing whatsoever.

The devils of the Hell General’s army dealt him a grave injury shortly after the battle began, quickly rendering him unconscious. And by the time he woke up in a church back at the capital...it was already over. He hadn’t been able to protect the king, join his commander on his fatal charge, or even guard the backs of his brothers-in-arms.

The war had taken a heavy toll on the Royal Guard. In fact, it had more or less been annihilated. Many of those who survived went on to retire. One might assume that they did this to avoid the shame of defeat, but Theodore knew painfully well that his fellow knights had left because the battle had made them realize how powerless they really were.

After all...he himself wanted to quit being a knight for that very reason.

He was overcome with despair. In his mind, a knight who failed to contribute to a battle would be nothing but a burden, no matter how much effort he put in.

Thus, like some other knights, Theodore was going through the process of early retirement. In two weeks, he would return home as his viscount father’s heir and inherit his land.

While waiting for that time to come, he was tasked with patrolling the castle, now far emptier than he recalled.

One day during his patrols, he walked into the indoor garden. He might have come here by mere chance, but perhaps there was a part of him that wanted to see this place one last time before he left forever.

“It hasn’t changed at all...” he muttered, recalling the times he had stood guard over the king and his daughters as they held a tea party in this very garden.

The gardener must’ve still been working even though the castle had lost its king — the rose bushes were still blooming with well-shaped, youthful blossoms.

Perhaps this place will never change, even when the kingdom falls and the castle itself has a new master, Theodore thought, and the notion made his heart ache with sorrow — for his country, which he was certain would collapse, and for himself, a knight preparing to abandon his protection of this doomed country.

“...I would not be able to do anything even if I stayed.” He lacked the talent and power to be of much help even if he remained a knight, so he tried to convince himself that he had made the correct choice.

While this conflict raged within him, Theodore heard a noise at the entrance to the rose garden.

Someone had walked in, prompting Theodore to hide.

Even he wasn’t sure why he reacted this way. Perhaps he simply didn’t want anyone to see him struggling to justify running away.

Regardless, the person who entered soon approached the garden table.

They...or rather, she sat down on a chair next to it and stared at the roses nearby.

Theodore recognized her well.

That is...Her Highness Elizabeth? The person was none other than the daughter of the late king and the second princess of Altar, Elizabeth S. Altar.

She had come here all by her lonesome, but that wasn’t unusual. She was known to be a wild, carefree girl with a tendency to run off and do things on her own.

However, in most such cases, she would have a cheerful expression on her face...definitely not the gloomy look she bore now.

...Perhaps I should call out to her. As a naturally diligent person, Theodore considered tossing aside his inner struggle and presenting himself to her. However, he stopped when he noticed a change in her expression — a single tear running down her cheek.

She was still looking at the roses that bloomed around the garden.

He knew well the significance of this place — it was where the royal family and anyone close to them would gather to enjoy each other’s company, and where Elizabeth had made many memories with her sisters and father.

The reason for her weeping did not need to be stated.

“Nh... Sniff...” Like a dam that had burst open, she began to cry without stopping.

The sight left Theodore completely frozen, and as he stood still...

“Elizabeth...”

...the voice of another person reached his ears.

It was Theresia C. Altar — the third princess of the kingdom, as well as Elizabeth’s little sister.

She wasn’t riding the giant rodent right now, which was quite a rarity for her.

She had actually stood up on her own two feet to go and find her lost sister.

“Nh... Theresiaaa...” The younger sister instantly noticed the tears on Elizabeth’s cheeks, which made her change her expression.

Perhaps due to her sickly constitution, Theresia wasn’t the most expressive girl. In fact, her demeanor was almost doll-like.

Even she, however, couldn’t remain unmoved while seeing her sister brought to tears by the memory of their father.

Theresia then approached Elizabeth and, without saying a word, gave her a hug.

Though there was still little emotion on her face, a tear could be seen running down the girl’s cheek while Elizabeth simply continued crying as she had been.

They were both little children that had just lost their father. It was only natural for them to cry.

Upon seeing this, Theodore slowly and silently sneaked out of the garden through the entrance opposite the one the girls had used.

Not saying a word, he walked through the hallway, as though eager to put distance between himself and the garden.

And then, after making it to a place where he could be certain he was alone...he bashed his head against the stone wall.

A dull pain rang out through his body as blood flowed from the resulting gash in his skin, but that was far from enough to soothe his anger.

“You couldn’t even protect their fragile little hearts! How dare you try to protect your own...?!” This anger was directed at himself, and it overwhelmed him.

After that, he rushed to retract his resignation.

He refused to run away just because of his own weakness, and instead resumed searching for ways he could contribute, with renewed intensity.

Even after Franklin’s Game in Gideon, his resolution had not wavered. He knew his limits, acknowledged them — and yet he continued to move forward, certain that there were things he could do in spite of them.

And now, he had been caught up in the assault on Altea.

Once again, it was time for him to see if he truly could protect the kingdom — and the hearts of Altar’s princesses.

◇◆◇

Castle, Innermost Hall

Over ten minutes had passed since Ignis Idea had broken through the main gate.

Twelve knights of the Royal Guard — Theodore among them — were defending the innermost hall on the first floor. Beyond it, there were stairs leading down to a bulky gate forged of Mythical metal.

This was the entrance to the castle’s emergency shelter, so in a way, the hallway where the knights now stood was the castle’s last line of defense.

“Sir Lindos! Mr. Lazburn...King of Blaze still hasn’t been stopped! He’s still moving forward!”

“I see...”

The identity of the intruder was now known to everyone in the castle, and the knights and guards alike were using all of the castle’s equipment to mount a defense against him.

However, that turned out to be less than ideal.

“The castle’s defensive mechanisms are operating at just below thirty percent!”

“We suspect this is due to all the personnel we lost in the previous incidents...”

As he listened to these reports, Theodore’s expression soured. The castle had countless defensive installations, both from the time of its original construction and added more recently by the Arch Sage. Theoretically, the place should be impenetrable.

However, many of the devices had been rendered unusable. This was partially due to deliberate sabotage of the castle’s magic distribution system by one of the intruders, but mostly it came down to a sheer lack of people.

The countless devices installed in the castle — especially the ones designed by the Arch Sage — were meant to be used by people who had at least a little bit of magical skill.

However, most of the magic experts of the castle — the Arch Sage’s disciples — had died to Gloria a little over a year ago.

It was difficult to find qualified replacements. Regardless of whether they hired unaffiliated casters or recruited people who were already working for the nobles, they needed even more personnel to run the necessary background checks. The castle’s security couldn’t be entrusted to an unreliable party, after all.

The same problem came up even with security installations that weren’t magical. Thus, the castle’s defenses were currently woefully unprepared for the current assault.

There simply weren’t enough people to properly protect this place, and they knew that all too well.

“How are Her Highness and the others?” Theodore asked.

“According to a message from Marquis Findle, they’re making their way into the shelter without any trouble.” Elizabeth, Canglong, and Milianne were currently being escorted to the shelter. They were accompanied by six members of the Royal Guard, a group of maids, and Marquis Findle, who was the head of intelligence as well as a capable manipulator of magic equipment — a skill necessary to make it past the shelter’s defenses.

“...Have you heard anything from Lady Grandria?”

“No... Not yet.” However, Liliana and Theresia weren’t part of the group heading to the shelter.

Normally, Liliana would be the one commanding the Royal Guard here, but she wasn’t present at the moment.

While the other children were being taken to the shelter, Theresia had been nowhere in sight. Liliana had left the command of the knights to Theodore and headed out to search for her.

She likely assumed that I would make a better leader at the moment than she would, he thought.

One of the low-rank jobs Theodore had was “Leader,” which gave a small boost to the stats of all members of his party. Being talentless himself, he had chosen to contribute to his order and the kingdom by strengthening his fellow knights.

The high-rank version of the job, Commander, would grant a greater boost and have a wider range, but it wasn’t an option for him because he could only have one high-rank job.

Even so, he would do what he could.

“Where is King of Blaze right now?”

“First floor. The second hallway in the south.”

“The magic distribution in that area should still be active. There should also be a barrier device that can be activated without caster abilities. Contact the guards there and tell them to seal off the second hallway.”

“Understood!” The subordinate quickly used comms magic to pass on the order, and a few dozen seconds later...

“Your idea was a success! King of Blaze has been sealed off!” The subordinate sounded overjoyed, but Theodore wouldn’t allow himself to feel too relieved.

He melted the front gate, he thought. Not even the Arch Sage’s barriers will hold him for long.

Theodore estimated that Lazburn would stay contained for ten minutes at most.

“Sir Lindos, I must say — I’m very impressed with your knowledge of the castle’s magic distribution system and equipment.”

“...The best thing someone without talent can do is gather knowledge. I suggest you also learn as much as you can about all the defense mechanisms and escape routes you are authorized to know about.”

“I-I will.”

“Also, it’s far too early to relax. The barrier bought us some breathing room, but it is only a matter of time until he breaks out. Some magic channels have been broken, as well. We were able to activate that barrier, but much of our security equipment in other areas does not have enough power to function. This includes the surveillance network. And let us not forget that Her Highness Theresia has not been taken to the shelter yet. I assume I’ve said enough for you to understand our role here?”

“Yes... We must protect the gate leading underground until the Princess’s safety is secured.”

“Exactly,” Theodore said with a nod.

A moment later, he glared at the only path leading to this final line of defense — the hallway that was closed off by a shutter.

“Sir Lindos?” the subordinate said, unsure why Theodore’s expression changed.

“...The box is moving,” he muttered with a stern look. “It is slow, though. It does not seem to be running away. That can only mean...”

“Fshh... fshh... fshh.” A strange sound like someone breathing could be heard beyond the shutter... which immediately melted.

“What?!” a few subordinates exclaimed.

“Ready your weapons! The enemy is upon us!” Theodore exclaimed as he and the others prepared for a fight.

Something passed through what used to be a barricade, finally coming into full view of the knights.

It was a three-metel-tall figure with a form that was far from human.

“Fshh... Fshh... Oh my, what a strong-looking gate. Have I found it? Should I assume no, given how weak you all seem to be?”

The creature seemed to be an amalgam of spider and human, like a giant spider whose features had been twisted into a more humanoid appearance by having its four front legs replaced by a single set of human limbs. Needless to say, the result was sickening.

“Who are you?” Theodore asked the talking spider-monster.

“I am King of Venom, Allo Ulmill,” the creature responded with a light bow. “I was once a member of The Death’s leading assassin group, ‘The Death’s Thumb.’ Now, I suppose I should go by ‘Aranea Idea’ — a supporting member of I.F., loyal to the clan and especially to La Crima.”

The creature casually revealed information that surprised everyone listening.

“Ohh, and the reason I introduced myself in such detail is simple — everyone here is going to die. Fshfshfsh,” Aranea said, his shoulders shaking. It was hard to tell, but it seemed that he was chuckling.

He was actually laughing as he declared that he was going to slaughter every member of the Royal Guard here.

“But all of that information is quite valuable by itself,” Aranea said before pointing at the hallway behind him. “I am sure you would be doing a great service if you brought that information back.”

“Sorry to disappoint you, but anyone who would crumble before a powerful foe has long left the order,” Theodore said firmly, rejecting Aranea’s invitation to flee.

All the knights who were afraid of facing formidable enemies or who feared their own weakness had run away from the order after the war. There were no potential deserters left in the Royal Guard, and you could tell just by looking at their expressions.

“How unfortunate,” Aranea said, shaking his head. “I set all this up so that the cowards would die first.”

A moment later, a purplish, burbling liquid flowed out of the hallway he had pointed towards.

“Poison...”

“Of course. What else would you expect from King of Venom? Fshfshfsh!” He laughed again after emphasizing the title of his Superior Job. “I must say, you are quite the bunch of weaklings. The highest level you could reach is only half of the maximum 500. The shields of Altar seem to be quite fragile, actually. I have two things I must do, so I wouldn’t want to waste too much time on the likes of you.”

“Two things?”

“Yes. I am quite a busy person. First on the agenda is sabotaging this castle.”

Seemingly filled with joy for some unknown reason, Aranea readily revealed his first goal, but it wasn’t anything surprising to the knights. Theodore could instantly tell that he was the same kind of opponent as King of Blaze who had destroyed the main gate.

“And my second task...is assassinating the second princess.” These words made most of the Royal Guard react with open rage and ready their blades, but Theodore was able to keep himself together, albeit barely, and wring out a single question. “...Why target Her Highness?”

“I have been conveyed to La Crima by The Death himself. However, back when I still served The Death, I was in charge of instructing a lower branch. The Death’s Pinky, they were called. They were talentless, though, and were effectively the lowest group under The Death’s command.”

“Hm...?”

Theodore and his companions didn’t know this, but that was the name of the assassin group that had attempted to take Elizabeth’s life on the request of Marquis Borozel, only to be destroyed by the Superior Killer — Marie.

She had solved the problem all by herself. No one had even realized that Elizabeth’s life had been in jeopardy, and the incident faded away into obscurity.

However, the story didn’t end there.

“It seems they were destroyed in their attempt to assassinate the second princess, so I figured that as their instructor, I would shoulder their duties and kill her myself.”

He declared that he would assassinate Elizabeth as casually as someone might state that they were going to take out the trash.

“If you tell me where she is, I will let you all go for the moment. What do you say? I’m being honest this time.”

The Royal Guards who had Truth Discernment could see the sincerity of Aranea’s words.

Before responding, Theodore fell silent for a moment. And then...

“I see. Here’s your answer, then... We refuse.”

...he rejected the offer utterly.

They were standing against a talented monstrosity. In a world where humanoid...or at least tian powers were determined by the jobs they held, Aranea was a remarkable figure who had acquired a Superior Job.

Besides that, he had been modified by a Superior Embryo to become even more powerful.

Theodore, in contrast, could only acquire three low-rank and a single high-rank job — comparing them at all seemed like a foolish endeavor.

Despite outnumbering their foe, the knights’ chances of victory were minuscule.

Theodore’s decision would no doubt lead them all to their death.

Even so, he — all of them had chosen to defy the enemy before them.

“Our power...!” Theodore called.

“...Is the kingdom’s blade!” the knights answered, brandishing their swords.

“Our bodies...!” Theodore called.

“...Are the kingdom’s shields!” the knights answered as they raised their own shields.

“Royal Guard... Prepare for battle!”

“Sir, yes, sir!” They were fully prepared to fight Aranea.

Their will was one, and not one of them felt any fear.

They were the Royal Guard — those who used to be the true protectors of Altar.

“Fshfshfsh... You continue to struggle? Frail as you might be, you are still good prey. Fshfshfshfshfsh...” Aranea laughed, moving his spider-like mouth. “Do be careful, though. My poison is more fiendish than even that of your typical UBM. It will easily melt a limb or two. And this body of mine is far stronger than the one I possessed as a mere Superior Job and a member of The Death’s Thumb. To be honest, this will barely qualify as a fight.”

As much as these words were a threat, they were also the unvarnished truth.

Even so, they did nothing to shake the knights’ resolve.

“Charge!” Theodore cried.

“As you command!” the knights answered. He didn’t fall back, and neither did they.

And so, the Royal Guard faced down a foe that far outclassed them.

“Fshfsh... Fatal Mist.”

“Everyone! Take an Elixir!” Aranea had used King of Venom’s ultimate job skill right off the bat, prompting Theodore to order the Royal Guard to use the Elixirs they had been provided with.

This gave the Royal Guard the upper hand in this exchange.

Aranea’s Fatal Mist was a skill that allowed him to pick several of his ten poisons that give disease-based debuffs, and then create a mist based on those poisons without worrying about any chemical interactions between them. And as King of Venom, he also possessed the Toxification skill at EX level, which doubled any disease-based status effects he inflicted.

Being exposed to a mist carrying such potent poisons would normally be fatal to anyone.

Aranea’s Poison Resistance was also at EX level, allowing him to negate any and all disease-based debuffs. It wouldn’t have been unusual if he was the only one still standing the moment after he used Fatal Mist.

The only way the Royal Guard could avoid this powerful poison attack was by using Elixirs. With the exception of those from diseases the imbibers had acquired by ordinary means, Elixirs negated all disease-based status debuffs, and then granted immunity to them for the next three minutes.

By drinking these elixirs, the Royal Guard avoided instant death and now took no damage from Aranea’s greatest weapon.

It seemed as though King of Venom was rendered powerless now, but...

“Fshfsh! Elixirs! Excellent! I love this!”

...he actually reacted with joy when he saw the knights employ this defense.

It was no doubt eerie, but the Royal Guard still showed no fear.

“Three, two...Grand Cross!” Theodore called, giving a hand sign.

“GRAND CROSS!” the knights answered.

Grand Cross was the strongest attack in a Paladin’s arsenal. As an ultimate job skill, it was difficult to acquire, so the only ones actually using it were Theodore and just three other members of the Royal Guard.

However, all of them had learned the art of stacking.

Following their defeat against Franklin back in Gideon, many Royal Guards had gone on to learn Grand Cross and do plenty of stacking practice, and you could see the fruits of their efforts in this four-stack strategy they used on Aranea.

Cross-shaped pillars of light rose up into the sky, delivering an immense blast of both holy and heat energy.

Not even Pure-Dragons could withstand this torrent of light.

“I see. Very impressive...though not very effective, I’m sorry to say,” Aranea remarked.

Despite being the target of the pillar, Aranea still seemed perfectly fine.

“Fshfsh... This won’t burn me. I have resistance to heat. If you saw my colleague, you should understand why.”

Aranea was wearing multiple accessories that granted fire resistance. He’d originally equipped these to protect him from Ignis Idea’s immense heat — but they proved effective against Grand Cross, as well.

“Exactly as I anticipated!” The moment the pillar of light vanished, all twelve of the Royal Guards charged Aranea in unison.

“Ohh?” Aranea voiced his surprise. He had expected them to be shaken by this, after all.

Theodore, however, had known all along that Grand Cross would have little effect on this creature.

One of the three low-rank jobs he had was Appraiser, which provided vision-based utility skills like Reveal, Identification, and See-Through Sight.

All of these were useful, but they often came as extras from other jobs, and their maximum skill level for Appraisers was below the generic low-rank limit of 5. Because of this, only a few people took the job. Theodore was one of these few, because he had a strict job limit and Appraiser allowed him to acquire all of these useful perception skills using only one of his allotted jobs.

He’d already used Identification to find out that Aranea was wearing accessories that granted heat resistance, and their Grand Cross attack had been nothing but a distraction.

That was the true meaning of the hand sign he had given before the Grand Cross — he was directing the knights to attack while the light was still active.

“OAAGH!” The Paladins of the Royal Guard roared as they thrust their blades, imbued with Knight skills, into Aranea’s body.

“...This won’t work,” the creature simply said. None of their swords could penetrate any further than the outer layer of Aranea’s carapace.

“Gh...! Is he this resilient...?!” Theodore said, shocked that his blade, aimed right for the chest, could pierce no deeper.

“Fshfsh. Identification helped you see my equipment, but it looks like Reveal didn’t let you see all of my stats. I suppose it must be due to the level difference... Oh, in case you’re wondering, my total level is 980.” Reveal was a skill that showed the target’s stats, but if the target had skills or gear that interfered with it, then differences in level could make it impossible to get concrete values. “Not that my stats as King of Venom mean much now anyway,” Aranea added.

“What...?”

“Perhaps you could’ve pierced the frail flesh I used to have...but you can barely scratch my new body.”

King of Venom held the Venomancer Superior Job, which was part of the alchemist grouping. As such, it offered high MP and DEX, but not much else. Normally, the Paladins here would’ve been far stronger than him, and their joint attack would’ve spelled his doom.

However, this was no longer King of Venom, Allo Ulmill, but rather Aranea Idea — a human modified by a Superior Embryo.

“This isn’t a fragile human body any longer.” An upper-Pure-Dragon-tier spider monster had been used as material in the operation that had transformed him, merging their flesh. Such human-monster hybrids were commonly employed by La Crima because they allowed the creation of Ideas that were physically more powerful than the average vanguard, but still maintained their rear guard or crafting skills.

Aranea was no different — all of his stats were far above those of a common Paladin.

“I’m superior to all of you combined and I have these amazing skills,” he said, looking down on them like a human would look down upon ants. “You have spirit...but do you really think you can stand up to me?”

“...Not yet!”

In spite of everything, the Royal Guards decided to keep on fighting.

Their perfect joint attack had only managed to wound Aranea lightly, but he was wounded nonetheless.

Even the Grand Cross stack they’d released earlier hadn’t been completely negated — minor burns were visible on Aranea’s skin, and the heat pouring off him was tangible.

Maybe the attack had done less damage than a typical low-rank fire spell, but it had still done damage.

That meant that Aranea wasn’t an unbeatable monster. He could certainly be overcome.

“The possibility exists!” Theodore roared.

There was once a creature that had completely crushed the Royal Guard.

It had a barrier that negated physical attacks, as well as a complete resistance to holy damage. Designed to be the ultimate foe of all Paladins, this unmatched creature had almost completely wiped out the Royal Guard.

However, it was actually defeated by a Paladin...a Master.

He’d brought down the very creature created to defeat people like him.

Theodore and the other Royal Knights had all borne witness to this triumph. They had all seen him raise up his right hand in victory.

That was why they could never allow themselves to give up, for they too were Paladins sworn to protect Altar.

“Attack! Keep fighting as long as your limbs can move...or until this creature falls!” Theodore called.

“SIR, YES, SIR!” the knights answered. They kept on moving. They imbibed more Elixir and continued to fight.

Not a single man among them gave up. Every single knight relentlessly sliced at Aranea’s body, striking as though they expected their shallow cuts to chop off all his limbs.

Clearly irritated, Aranea said, “Fshfsh... How annoying!” Right as Theodore’s sword pierced his chest again, the creature swung his spider arms. Backed by Pure-Dragon-tier power, the four arms sent four of the knights flying, but the other eight continued fighting regardless.

...An opening! Theodore thought. Aranea was strong — perhaps ten times as strong as they were.

On account of his hardy spider exoskeleton, Aranea even outclassed them in the Paladin’s speciality — END. This Idea had an edge over them in AGI, as well, but since non-mounted Paladins were slow to begin with, this didn’t mean he was all that fast — not even close to supersonic speeds, in fact.

And even if that gap between their AGI stats was immense, there was little difference in their actual speeds, which meant that Aranea couldn’t just choose to kill them in the blink of an eye.

“You impertinent little...!”

There was a reason why Aranea’s AGI was lower than one might expect.

The spider monster fused to his flesh had been far faster than him, but that was because it had a mastery over its arachnid form.

Allo Ulmill was ultimately human, so it was hard for him to move as a spider. He could have been given a fully arachnid body, but no one knew how long it would take him to learn to move in such a form. In the end, it had been more efficient to give Aranea a mostly humanoid form, even if that resulted in a lower AGI overall.

This could be considered a flaw of human-monster hybrids — END could be maintained, but AGI couldn’t.

Unlike someone using a Guardian fusion skill, Aranea had been physically merged with a monster. Since parts of him were still human, he could never fully utilize the monster’s power.

However, that also meant that he kept all the advantages of being human.

“Don’t underestimate me!” Aranea once again moved the spider-arms, this time releasing countless webs through their tips.

“Huh?!” The webs quickly stuck to the surrounding knights, pinning them to the walls.

“Kh-agh...!” The impact knocked the wind from Theodore’s lungs. He quickly caught his breath and tried to move, but the Binding effect from the webs had immobilized him.

“This is...!”

“Fshfsh... A web, as you can surely guess. You did manage to give me a bit of trouble, but that’s all over now,” Aranea said, continuing to flood the area with spider silk.

Perhaps it was obvious that a spider-man would be able to use both poison and webs, but Aranea had not been granted these powers by his fusion with a spider monster. Rather, it was the other way around — Allo Ulmill had mastered both of these things, and that was why he had been merged with a spider in the first place.

“Fshfsh... I always liked doing this,” Aranea mused. “Can’t use Elixirs when you’re all wrapped up, can you?”

That was the reason why King of Venom had become a skilled user of thread-based binding techniques.

As mentioned before, Elixirs were his bane. He naturally needed to devise a counter to them, and this was that counter — binding his enemies so they couldn’t drink them in the first place.

Skills that used threads as weapons were dependent on DEX, so his build worked well for this kind of attack, even as the frail King of Venom.

“Fshfsh... Now, there’s nothing you can do but wait in terror for your Elixir’s three-minute timer to expire.”

Aside from being effective, this strategy also suited Aranea’s taste.

This was why he’d actually been glad they’d all used Elixirs.

Just as he said, they’d given him some trouble, but this was the end.

All that was left for him was to watch as the Royal Guards here died in fear before heading down to kill the second princess.

With that in mind, Aranea looked at their faces...

“Ah...”

...and saw something he could scarcely believe.

Throughout his life, he had dealt out death to many. He’d bound and poisoned thousands of people exactly like this.

All of his victims, without exception, had shown despair as their inevitable death approached.

To Aranea, seeing that despair was a reassurance that he was the one who dealt out death to others, and it always filled him with a sense of relief.

By gaining this body, he had become even more skilled at killing. His body was tough enough that swords barely scratched him. He was powerful and his life had been extended. He could clearly feel death becoming a distant concept to him, and Aranea could honestly say that his life had never been better.

He was the death dealer. In turn, death would never come for him.

Since that was his outlook, Aranea felt absolute terror when he noticed that his prey, bound and out of options...remained stoic, brave, and unfaltering.

“Ngh...” Aranea let out a noise of distress as he took a step back.

“Target — below yourselves... GRAND CROSS!” Still bound, Theodore and the others who were able to do so used Grand Cross on the floor below them.

The next moment, the Paladins burst into flame.

Embraced by searing heat, they lost great amounts of HP even with Paladin’s Aegis protecting them. Still, they soldiered on through the pain.

The memory of one particular Paladin who had kept on using his flames even as they consumed him was still fresh in their minds.

He had been driven by his will to protect the people, and they would follow his example.

And as a reward for this self-destructive act...

“M-My webs... You burned them off...?!”

...the silk binding them was incinerated.

While Aranea himself had resistance to fire, that didn’t apply to the webs he released. Like any organic material, the silk burned up in the searing light of Grand Cross.

“CHARGE!” Theodore called, and then he said something Aranea did not catch.

It mattered little, however. The more important fact was that the Royal Guard were still moving and attacking him.

“Y-Your struggle is futile!” Aranea swung his arms and sprayed out silk again, sending the knights flying once more.

However, there was something in the way this time — ten, or more, metallic steeds.

“What are these horses...?!” In fact, they were SMPS — Second Model Prism Steeds — the mass-produced units that had been given to the Royal Guard.

Mounted combat was impossible indoors, but since SMPS could create barriers, they were still useful as covers.

“Ghh... You’re in the way!” Aranea destroyed the surrounding steeds with his webs and arms.

The steeds quickly shattered under the assault, but the knights thought nothing of it. They only needed the SMPS to buy time.

“Grand Cross!” two voices called.

“Hm...?!” Suddenly, a stacked Grand Cross manifested under Aranea.

This two-stack was weaker than the first four-stack, but it was still able to temporarily blind Aranea and burn away the webs he was releasing.

“Do you truly think this will be enough to defeat me...?!” Pressured by the torrent of light, he struggled to escape it. His accessories kept the damage low, so it would never actually kill him.

In his mind, this was just another desperate attempt at stalling from the Royal Guards, just like the horses.

And then, the pressure he felt from the flood of light was abruptly cut in half.

One of the users ran out of MP...! Aranea thought, based on his perception of the situation. Grand Cross was far from cheap to cast, so it wasn’t surprising that it could quickly drain the user’s MP reserves dry.

The pressure was now weak enough for him to easily escape.

“I’m ou—?!”

But as soon as he did so...

“OAAGH!”

...there was Theodore, lunging at him from close range with his sword.

Everything he had done so far was only a set-up for this one attack.

Theodore had deliberately stopped using Grand Cross so he could approach Aranea and thrust his sword straight through his chest.

He aimed for the same spot he’d attacked many times before. Worn down by the continuous assault of slashes and stabs, Aranea’s tough skin finally gave way...and the blade sunk into his body.

Aranea made no sound. It was as though time had stopped.

Theodore, drained of both MP and SP, had delivered the strongest attack he could muster and seemed to be frozen in that position.

Aranea looked down at the sword that pierced his chest...

“Fshfsh... WHAT A SHAME!”

...and laughed before swinging his human arm to send Theodore flying.

“Ugh...” Theodore coughed up blood, likely from his shattered ribs piercing his internal organs.

“S-Sir Lindos!”

“Then we must fight without him...!” After their costly escape from the web and Aranea’s many attacks, the knights were all heavily wounded. Many had even lost consciousness already.

They tried to keep fighting Aranea in spite of that...

“Cough... Th-This is...!”

...but then, they hit their time limit.

The effects of the second Elixir had begun to expire.

Most of the poison from the Fatal Mist had been neutralized by the many Grand Crosses, but the small amount that still remained began to affect the knights that still stood.

Now, hands were shaking too much for them to even take a third Elixir.

“Fsh, fsh, fsh... My, my...for such a frail bunch, you certainly gave me a lot of trouble. But as you can see, it was futile,” Aranea said, pulling out the sword Theodore had stabbed into his chest. “You were probably aiming for my heart, but it’s not there. Not like I would die if you actually did manage to pierce it anyway.”

Except the brain, Aranea had multiples of every vital organ. He was designed to survive even if his insides were critically damaged.

“But your futile struggle really made an impression! I won’t forget any of you! I’ll even tell the second princess all about it when I kill her! She deserves to hear the tale of the weakling knights who gave everything they had just to stab me once! FSHFSHFSH!” Aranea laughed out loud and looked down at the knights, wounded and poisoned...when suddenly, he heard a strange noise like a loud crack.

“Hm...? What is that sound?” he asked, looking around.

Some seconds later, he was ready to assume that the sound had either been the knights’ equipment breaking or the hall itself preparing to fall apart from the intense battle, but then...

“Yeah...stab you...just once.”

...Theodore, still battered and lying against the wall, said those words.

“Oh? You can still speak? Aren’t you more injured than anyone else here?”

“...I only gave you...a slight wound.” His words seemed like incoherent muttering.

Perhaps Theodore’s consciousness was simply wavering because of the poison and injuries, but for some reason, these seemingly meaningless words sent a chill down Aranea’s spine.

“What about the woun— Hm?” Aranea tried to speak, but his words were cut off by that same crack-like sound. This time, it gave off an ominous feeling, like the noise that preceded a dam bursting.

“What is this sound...?”

“I...saw it... That is why...I kept...targeting it...”

“Speak, already! What were you targeting?!” Aranea shouted, clearly irritated by Theodore’s mumbling.

“The box,” Theodore responded.

“What...?” The crack-like...no, the cracking sound reached Aranea again.

It wasn’t reaching his ears through the outside air, but resonating within his very bones.

The Royal Guard had given everything they had, and then some, just to deliver a single stab wound.

Their target, however, was actually inside the wound.

Theodore had been focused on it even before Aranea had shown himself.

The Appraiser job possessed three utility skills: Reveal, Identification...and See-Through Sight.

This last skill gave the user a power similar to X-ray vision, or perhaps something more like the devices used in airport security checks. It was used to Identify items with special, multilayered structures or to detect dangerous objects.

Theodore normally used this skill in the course of his guard duties, and it had allowed him to see the object within Aranea’s body before he even arrived.

“What are you talking ab— Ah?!”

Theodore had seen and targeted it from the start.

There was only one thing that could be making that sound — the box-shaped inventory inside Aranea’s body, implanted to store the materials for his poisons and webs.

The cracking noise was now happening more and more frequently.

“Wait. Wait...!”

The existence of the inventory was only logical. Spreading poison and releasing webs required materials; despite that, Aranea was able to flood the hall with venom and turn the entire place into one giant spider web.

He couldn’t possibly have fit all of that into his physical body, so he must have stored the materials somewhere.

However, Identification didn’t show any inventories on him.

That was what made Theodore realize that the immense amount of material Aranea used had to have been kept within the box inside him, which he had spotted with See-Through Vision. Since the box was necessary for Aranea’s survival, it had been implanted into him so that he could never lose it...but that came with one major flaw.

“Wait, wait, waitWAITWAITWAITWAAIT!” The repeated cracking sounds made Aranea lose his cool, his voice rising to a desperate scream.

The prospect of being on the receiving end of that which he had so often dealt out to others terrified him.

He didn’t fear the sounds themselves, but the event they foretold — a minor law of this world.

Inventories could be destroyed from the outside.

And when they were...they released all their contents.

“WaAiT... ABGHAH?!” Following one brief final cry...Aranea was torn apart.

The items that overflowed within his tough body instantly pulverized his organs, and a few moments later, the sheer volume of them, far greater than his body could fit, burst forth. Aranea’s body was ripped to pieces.

No matter how modified and improved, his body could not withstand this. The Idea who firmly believed that the modifications he’d undergone had allowed him to escape death forever...died precisely because of those modifications.

Theodore, though badly wounded, calmly watched the end of this fearsome foe.

“Heh...” He smiled for the first time since the war...as the flood of materials — poison included — washed over him.