The nest descended into chaos.
The instant Xylo's flames touched the cluster of eggs, the cavern transformed into a blazing inferno. Fire surged across the silk-covered nests with unnatural hunger, racing along strands of webbing that stretched from wall to wall like the veins of some colossal beast. Delicate membranes shriveled beneath the heat. Fragile shells blackened and burst apart one after another. The countless cocoons suspended throughout the chamber became lanterns of fire, illuminating the darkness with a flickering orange glow.
Then came the screams.
Tiny. Weak. Pitiful.
Yet somehow more horrifying than any roar.
The cries echoed throughout the cavern, bouncing from wall to wall until they became an endless chorus of agony. The sound of infants being burned alive.
Mother Celeste froze.
For the first time since the battle began, genuine fear appeared upon her beautiful face.
"No..."
The word escaped her lips as little more than a whisper.
Her emerald eyes widened as she stared at the flames devouring her offspring. Then, without hesitation, she threw herself toward the burning nests. The regal composure of a queen vanished instantly, shattered by panic. She dropped to her knees amidst the fire and gathered several burning eggs into her arms, clutching them desperately against her chest as if sheer determination could preserve the lives within.
"No... no, no, no..."
Her voice trembled.
"It's alright."
Her hands shook violently as she cradled the dying eggs.
"Mother is here."
The flames crackled.
One egg collapsed inward.
Another burst apart, scattering ash across her arms.
"You'll be alright..."
Her words grew weaker.
Less convincing.
Even to herself.
For several seconds she simply stared at the remains, disbelief etched across every feature of her face. Then desperation overtook reason. She pressed both hands against the burning silk, frantically attempting to smother the flames consuming her children.
The moment her skin touched the fire, disaster followed.
The flames spread.
Black chitin coating her fingers ignited instantly.
She hissed in pain and recoiled, yet stubbornly reached forward again. Again and again she beat at the fire, attempting to extinguish it. Again and again the flames only grew stronger. Silk wrapped around her arms caught alight. Fire climbed across her shoulders, spread along her torso, and began consuming the massive spider body beneath her human form. Cracks appeared across her glossy armor-like exoskeleton as the relentless heat penetrated deeper and deeper.
"Stop..."
Her voice broke.
The flames answered with silence.
"Please..."
Tears streamed down her cheeks.
Then she screamed.
"STOP!"
The entire cavern trembled.
Spiderlings trapped within burning nests shrieked endlessly. The sound clawed at the ears like rusted hooks. Even Xylo felt his stomach tighten. For a brief moment he regretted what he had done.
Only for a brief moment.
Mother Celeste staggered backward. Flames danced across her body. Smoke curled from her burning flesh. Her entire frame trembled violently as grief and fury battled for control within her.
Slowly, she raised her head.
A shaft of moonlight spilled through the crack high above the cavern and mingled with the orange glow of the inferno. Together they illuminated her face.
Tears ran freely down her cheeks.
Ash stained her pale skin.
The ethereal beauty that had once made her appear almost divine twisted into something grotesque. Something broken.
Her luminous green eyes found Xylo.
Silence descended upon the chamber.
Then she spoke.
"You."
The single word echoed through the cavern like a curse.
Her voice cracked.
"You did this to my children."
The air itself seemed to vibrate.
Stone fragments tumbled from the ceiling.
"YOU BURNED THEM!"
Her voice rose into something primal.
Something inhuman.
"My babies..."
The words emerged as a broken whisper.
"My precious children..."
For a fleeting moment she looked less like a monster and more like a grieving mother.
Then grief transformed into rage.
Pure.
Unrestrained.
Monstrous rage.
Despite the flames consuming her body, despite the agony undoubtedly coursing through every nerve, Mother Celeste began moving toward Xylo.
One spider leg struck the stone floor.
Then another.
Then another.
Each impact shook the cavern.
"You..."
Another step.
"I'LL KILL YOU!"
Cold sweat trickled down Xylo's neck.
"Raiden," he muttered quietly. " she's upset."
Beside him, Raiden stared at the advancing monstrosity with a perfectly straight face.
"Really?" he asked.
With one swift motion, he tore a feather from his wing.
"What gave it away?"
Mother Celeste exploded forward.
The stone beneath her shattered as she lunged.
Despite her injuries, despite the flames devouring her flesh, she crossed the distance with terrifying speed.
But Raiden was faster.
The feather in his hand hardened instantly, transforming into polished steel. With a sharp flick of his wrist, he launched it through the air.
The projectile gleamed beneath the moonlight.
A silver flash.
Then—
SHINK.
The steel feather sliced across Mother Celeste's face, cutting her eyes out, rendering her blind.
Blood erupted.
"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The spider empress recoiled violently.
Both hands flew toward her eyes.
Her emerald gaze vanished beneath streams of crimson.
Blinded.
Several massive spider legs struck wildly against the stone as she stumbled backward, shrieking in pain.
"You got her!" Xylo shouted.
Raiden did not celebrate.
His eyes were fixed elsewhere.
"We need to leave."
"What?"
"Now."
Something in his tone made Xylo turn.
The moment he did, his heart nearly stopped.
The tunnel Xavier had run through was gone.
It had simply disappeared beneath a tide of movement.
Spiders.
Hundreds of them.
No.
Thousands.
They poured from every crack within the walls. They crawled from hidden tunnels concealed beneath layers of silk. They descended from the ceiling and emerged from beneath the floor itself. The surviving eggs trembled violently as fresh spiderlings clawed their way into existence.
The entire nest was alive.
"...Well," Xylo muttered weakly.
Flames ignited around his fists once more.
"This is bad."
Raiden's wings unfolded.
Steel spread across every feather until they resembled forged blades rather than plumage. He folded them around his body like a shield and exhaled slowly.
"That's one way to describe it. We need to cut our way through the tunnel"
The two men stood side by side.
One wielding fire.
The other feather of steel.
Meanwhile, Mother Celeste remained hunched amidst the flames.
Burning.
Bleeding.
Blind.
Yet still moving.
One spider leg dragged across the floor.
Then another.
Her ruined eyes searched aimlessly.
The dying cries of her children echoed from every direction, drowning out everything else. She could no longer hear footsteps. Could no longer distinguish breathing. Could no longer locate her enemies.
There was only grief.
Only loss.
Only death.
Her body trembled.
Then she threw her head back.
Flames erupted around her like a blazing crown.
And she screamed.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
"MY CHILDREN!!!"
The scream shook the cavern.
Silk tore from the ceiling.
Stone cracked.
Spiderlings froze.
Even the maggots lurking within the darkness retreated in terror. Slowly, Mother Celeste lowered her head.
Burned lips parted.
"You!..."
Her voice had become hoarse.
Unnatural and haunting.
"You will sufferrr!!!." she screamed, clawing at the flesh of her body
The colossal spider legs beneath her body spread outward.
Flames continued consuming her body.
Seeing the state Mother Celeste had fallen into, Raiden and Xylo felt a chill run down their spines...It wasn't even the seductive spider empress that had toyed with them moments ago. Whatever reason or sanity she once possessed had burned away alongside her children. What remained now....i dare not say.
Neither of them had the luxury of staying to discover how dangerous.
Without warning, Raiden rushed toward Xylo.
The latter blinked in confusion.
"Oi, what are you doing?" he asked.
Raiden ignored him completely.
Before Xylo could protest, the winged knight crouched down, grabbed him by the legs and hoisted him onto his back.
"Hey!"
Xylo nearly lost his balance.
"What in the—"
"Shut up and hold on," Raiden barked, his voice sharper than usual. "I'm giving you a piggyback ride. Trust me, I'm not happy about carrying a grown man on my back, but we need to move."
Xylo stared blankly for a moment.
Then he frowned.
"Seriously?"
"You can complain after we survive."
Behind them, Mother Celeste dragged herself forward , through the fire.
One burning spider leg slammed against the stone floor.
Another followed.
Her flesh crackled beneath the flames.
Smoke rose from her ruined body.
Yet she advanced relentlessly, her broken voice echoing throughout the chamber.
"My babies..."
Another step.
"You took them from me..."
Ahead of them, things were no better.
The entrance to the tunnel had vanished beneath a writhing wall of spiders—hundreds of them.
Thousands.
The walls themselves seemed alive. Maggots squirmed through cracks once more in the stone while larger spiders descended from webs hanging overhead. Countless tiny eyes reflected the flames dancing behind them. Their shrieks filled the air, merging with the crackling inferno and Mother Celeste's maddened cries.
They were trapped.
Death behind them.
Dead end before them.
Raiden clicked his tongue.
"We don't have a choice."
He lowered his center of gravity. Then sprinted.
His wings spread behind him, stirring the air into violent gusts.
The tunnel swarm noticed immediately.
Like a living tide, the spiderlings charged.
Their tiny legs, rushing closer..
Their screeches intensified.
Xylo's eyes widened.
"Raiden!"
"I'm aware!"
"There's too many!, The tunnel is closed, we can't go through"
"Then burn a way for us!"
Xylo gritted his teeth.
His palms burst into flames.
The fire around Xylo's hands roared, louder and louder, until it compressed into a single, searing point. Heat warped the air, veins bulging across his arms as if they might burst.
"NOW!"
He thrust both palms forward.
The cave shook.
BOOOOOOM!
A torrent of fire erupted, dragon-breath unleashed. The narrow tunnel became an ocean of flame.
Spiderlings disintegrated in an instant. Webs ignited in shrieking bursts. Maggots split apart, sizzling into ash.
Even the stone walls blackened beneath the infernal blast. The swarm was torn away, a burning path carved straight through the nest.
Raiden didn't hesitate. With Xylo clinging to his back, he plunged through the flames and sprinted into the darkness beyond.
The explosion did more than burn, It shook the cave to its bones.
Raiden and Xylo had already vanished into the dark passage ahead before the roof gave way.
With a deafening rumble, the cavern folded in on itself. Rocks plunged downward, falling on Mother Celeste, her voice twisting with fury and despair—was then drowned beneath the avalanche. The nest, her children—all crushed beneath the weight of falling stone.
Silence followed. Only the echo of destruction remained.
Behind them, her shrieks split the air.
"AHHHHHh!!!!!!!!"
Her voice echoed, enraged, but grew fainter as Raiden carried them deeper into the tunnel. Neither man dared to look back. The portal was open now, so they had to hurry.