The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound

Chapter 99: Madam Eight-Legs (5)

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Danger Level: S

Size: ?

Discovery Location: Red and Black Mountain Range, Ridge 10.

Commonly known as ‘Madam of Calamity.’ The exact species name is unknown.

Long ago, gigantic spiders roamed the depths of the Oil Hell, and ‘Madam Eight-Legs’ is thought to be a distant descendant, retaining the massive size of those ancient spiders.

Her body is filled with repulsive venom, and her webbing, tougher than steel, is nearly unbreakable, except for the hellfire of the Cerberus.

Vikir gazed up at this enormous queen spider before him.

Indeed, facing this overwhelming force, he now understood why the tribal warriors had been so worried and fearful.

Before leaving Ballak, Aquila had shown a worried expression.

“There isn’t much known about Madam. The sorcerer Aheuman knew the most, but now he’s gone…”

However, Aquila was unaware of one thing.

Aheuman was a sorcerer from the Rokoko tribe and therefore had good knowledge of ancient demons

Recently, Vikir had acquired various secret documents from the Rokoko tribe that had escaped the Red Death plague

. Surprisingly, among those documents were important texts that Aheuman, the sorcerer of Rokoko, had not been able to obtain, one of which was a detailed analysis of the Calamity’s creatures.

The monster compendium contained information on rare creatures such as the ‘Fog lizard’ and the ‘Bone-Sucking Mosquito,’ and Madam of the Calamity was no exception.

The exact nature of Madam of the Calamity is not yet known. However, she bears a resemblance to the gigantic and horrifying spiders that appear in ancient history books, and it is expected that she will transform into a similar creature if she continues to grow over the long years.

Currently, she lives in isolation in the abandoned land between the low hills beyond the Red and Black Mountain Range and the cold and harsh coast of the Endless Sea.

However, unlike the quiet past, it feels as if she is now contemplating crossing the boundaries of the mountain range.

Madam of the Calamity is always writhing in hunger, and if her intense appetite is combined with her relentless cunning and immense power, no creature in the ecosystem of the Red and Black Mountains can stop her.

We are no exception. We must prepare. For the nightmares that may soon come. The terror of the Calamity!

Vikir recalled various pieces of information and looked at Madam Eight-Legs.

Her massive body expanded and contracted with each breath.

A thick, greenish toxic mist enveloped her entire body, and beyond it, eight red eyes pierced through Vikir’s whole being.

[Jaahk…!]

Finally, Madam Eight-Legs reacted first.

She raised her enormous front legs and struck the ground forcefully.

…Clang!

The ground seemed to crease, and then a massive wave rose and engulfed Vikir.

It consisted of sharp shattered bone fragments, decaying flesh, spider silk, and excrement mixed into a slimy ferment.

Faced with this disgusting wave, Vikir could only force a bitter smile.

“I’m glad I came here hungry.”

If he had eaten something, he would have surely vomited.

Even Vikir, who had a strong stomach, thought so.

Puff! Puff! Puff!

Vikir leaped to the side to avoid the wave.

He couldn’t just dodge it any which way.

If he showed even the slightest opening, he could be dragged beneath the writhing ground or kicked by Madam Eight-Legs’ additional leg strikes.

Vikir landed on a massive ribcage rising high to his side.

Kka-lak-

The archery he learned from Aiyen.

As Vikir’s arrow flew, tracing a parabolic arc, Madam Eight-Legs twitched slightly.

Even the most formidable Madam in the world sustained some injuries during the attack on Ballak Village. Although they were minor, dealing with annoying thorns embedded in her body was an unavoidable response.

Madam dodged the arrow flying toward her eyes by moving her body slightly backward.

Sss…

A profound darkness enveloped her like a curtain.

Madam’s breath turned into a thick venomous mist, covering her almost entirely in darkness.

Ur-rung! Thunk!

If only it hadn’t been a bolt of thunder at that moment.

Flash!

In an instant, a streak of fallen lightning illuminated the surroundings with a brilliant light.

It revealed just how cunningly Madam was preparing her next attack, although she seemed to be crouching in the darkness.

The moment when her middle leg, which had stealthily risen up, was outlined in white light.

Thud!

Vikir thrust an arrow precisely into the gap that had appeared.

It was like roasting beans in the fire.

With that brief flash of light, Vikir could accurately aim his arrow at the target.

The target was Madam’s left eye.

Crunch-

A sound as if the red glass were shattering.

The arrow struck directly into Madam’s head.

[Jaahaaack!?]

Suddenly, one of her eight perspectives went pitch black.

At that very moment, thunder struck again.

Flash!

Another lightning bolt struck down.

…Kwak-kkong!

The sound followed slightly later than the light, becoming a beacon guiding Vikir’s second arrow.

Crunch-

With this, Madam lost two of her eyes.

After the flash, exactly seven seconds later, a deafening noise erupted.

…Kwa-cck!

The sound arrived a bit later than the light, and at that moment, Vikir was once again preparing for the next attack.

‘Her two left eyeballs are gone.’

Vikir intentionally aimed for Madam’s left side. Since two of her left eye orbs had been pushed away by the arrows, that side was now a blind spot.

Vikir made a swift decision, like a seasoned hunting dog, and it paid off precisely.

Madam seemed to sense that she had lost sight of the enemy when Vikir moved to the left.

Seizing the opportunity, Vikir drew the demon sword Beelzebub and activated the Aura of Graduator, an advanced skill.

Baskerville’s Fang.

Gooey-Liquid Aura surged through the six fangs.

Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwak!

The elongated thrust created a massive crack.

The hard chitinous armor shattered, and the soft flesh within made a squelching sound as it was torn into pieces.

Deng-geong!

With a deafening roar, Madam’s left front leg was severed.

[Jaahaaaack!]

Madam screamed through the numerous breathing holes all over her body.

But that wasn’t the end of it.

Jjeo-eok!

Vikir’s thrust cut through the air like a whip. Not only did he sever one of Madam’s front legs, but he also stabbed into her abdomen and even struck the mucus sac from which the spider silk was drawn at the back.

Jool-jool-jool-jool…

The spider silk began to flow.

With mucus dripping, Madam, stumbling backward, became Vikir’s target for a follow-up attack.

After a successful strike, it was the essence of hunting to press on relentlessly without pause. Once you gained the upper hand, you must not let it slip away.

However.

“…?”

Vikir hesitated for a moment, not proceeding with the attack.

The instincts of an old hunting dog were screaming at him to retreat immediately!

Vikir didn’t hesitate and followed his instincts without a second thought.

On the battlefield, there were times when listening to instinct rather than reason was wiser.

And right at that moment.

…Peo-eok!

Vikir’s waist was instantly bent into an ‘L’ shape.

Madam’s killing intent had surpassed Vikir’s instincts.

Where did it come from?

From an unexpected direction, Madam’s leg had sprung out and struck Vikir’s body.

“…!”

At the moment his body was bent in shock, Vikir clearly witnessed it.

The leg of Madam that he had just cut off had regenerated suddenly.

Not only that, it had doubled in number!

[Ja-ra-lak- Kick!]

Madam raised her left front leg, seemingly mocking Vikir.

Surprisingly, her front leg had split into two branches, starting from the point where it had just been severed.

In other words, two new legs had grown from the place where it had been cut.

Madam’s incredible regeneration allowed her to perform such an absurd feat.

Her legs had a bizarre structure that multiplied the more you cut them.

Kwa-cck! …Puk!

Vikir fell lifelessly, buried like trash in a pile of bones.

Madam’s leg turned Vikir’s body, which was solidified by the protection of the Styx River, into a ragged mess.

His abdominal skin tore apart, and his intestines spilled out. His right leg was completely severed.

The bones of his left leg were shattered into pieces and bent into an ‘L’ shape. The shock also made one of his eyes and ears go deaf.

A hero collapsed in an instant.

And just like she had turned countless heroes into rotten flesh masses before, Madam managed to achieve something similar once again.

[Kick, kick, kick, kick…]

Madam mocked with a triumphant attitude.

Now, only six eyes remained, and they softened as if forming a smiling expression.

…However.

Madam soon had to wipe the smirk off her face.

“So, did you not know this fact? Cutting off a leg makes it two?”

Vikir casually brushed himself off and stood up.

At the same time.

Tsutsutsu…

Black steam began to rise from Vikir’s entire body.

The sound and smell of flesh burning, along with the emanating black smoke.

But it wasn’t flesh burning; it was infinite regeneration.

The Fog Lizard, [Infinite regeneration dragon] a monstrous amphibian creature residing in the Beelzebub within Vikir’s sword, had completely restored Vikir’s body.

Finally, Vikir spoke.

“…But this much is within the margin of error.”

With a chilling voice that made Madam shudder, the hunting dog began to bare its teeth in earnest.