The Spider Queen

(Unknown Planet- Base Camp of the Hyperion Knights)

(Captain's Tent)

"You have failed," a cold voice echoed through the tent.

Captain Dawn leaned back against the nearest wall and remained silent as the harsh voice continued to berate him from the communicator.

"The archbishop will be sending reinforcements that should arrive in a few weeks time. You will immediately evacuate the planet and return to the Church for punishment."

"I cannot imagine how you managed to lose three quarters of your squad and not even pass the trial…" the voice sarcastically mocked.

Captain Dawn bowed his head and slowly raised his finger to press the [END] button on the communicator.

The harsh voice was immediately cut off.

There was now peace and tranquility in the tent which allowed the captain some time to think.

After leaving the trial, most of his knights were not even able to recognise the man standing before them as his physiology had undergone drastic changes.

All the hair on his body had been burned away leaving his skin smooth and pinkish not unlike a newborn's.

Instead of eyes, there were two burning orbs in his sockets with flames that were a dark purplish-black colour and glowed with a light that was oddly hypnotic.

Captain Dawn's height had increased to eight feet and his already bulky frame had been transformed into a hulking monstrosity.

Traces of his human features did remain, but no one would mistake the captain for an ordinary man.

Captain Dawn did not resent his changed appearance nor complain about his twisted physique as these were gifts from the Sun God who had transformed him into a vessel.

To become a weapon to spread the glory of the Sun God was everything that the captain had ever dreamed.

However, a vessel was more than just a mere weapon.

Those chosen by the gods served as avatars or extensions of their will.

Those powerful creatures that hid beyond the void of this dimension needed servants to affect the universe.

There have only been a handful of devoted believers chosen as vessels by the Sun God over the span of several millennia.

Written records of their powers and abilities were scarce but it was rumored that the vessels were the strongest creatures of their era.

Captain Dawn smiled as he felt the surging inferno of divine power lurking inside his meridians and itching to be released.

It was why he didn't mind the reprimand from the high ups in the Church.

He may have failed to get the seedlings but unlocked a power far greater.

None would stop his mission.

Knock! Knock!

A harsh tapping noise came from the entrance of the tent. Captain Dawn frowned irritably at the sudden noise and waved his hand.

There was a loud scream as the knight standing by the door instantly burst into flames. The scent of charred flesh and meat filled the air.

Captain Dawn slowly walked over to the metalloid door and pushed it open. By now the unfortunate knight was nothing more than a burnt carcass laying on the ground.

The monstrous man smiled and placed a finger on the still burning corpse. The flames burning on the body were instantly sucked into his palm.

Captain Dawn trembled in pleasure as the comfortable feeling rushing into his veins almost caused him to moan.

Another sacrifice for the Lord had been offered and he could feel his power grow with every kill.

This feeling was an addiction but one that the captain indulged. He could feel the barrier to the void stage gradually start to chip away.

He had been stuck in the qi tide stage for over twenty years but now there was finally a chance to go even further beyond.

He only needed some more sacrifices….

(Sophie's POV)

Well, that's not good…

The hybrid girl squatted behind a nearby sand dune and peeked at the surprisingly empty campsite.

Her golden eyes darkened, and the blurry details became clearer.

She had already placed the hoverbike back in her storage bag and made her way on foot to a vantage point that overlooked the rest site.

Two hours had passed uneventfully as Sophie was in no rush to make a move. She was prepared to wait for any opening or opportunities to implement in her ambush.

What she didn't expect to see was a knight instantly bursting into flames and then the captain exiting from a tent looking like a demonic beast from hell.

She could only recognise that creature as the captain from the symbol painted on the sides of his now ill-fitting uniform.

He definitely couldn't do that before…. right?

Sophie had also observed that the number of knights left were much fewer than she expected even accounting for those killed by her massive explosion.

This was supposed to be good news, but Sophie couldn't shake the feeling that she was walking right into a trap.

Something was wrong with her target… the captain was a powerful warrior, but he was a human…

And humans did not have burning flames instead of eyes.

"Fuck… what the hell happened to him?" Sophie muttered darkly as she stared at the tent where her target resided.

What had caused such a drastic shift in the captain's appearance?

Had he gotten one of the seedlings?

That was the first explanation that flashed across Sophie's mind.

It would be impressive if it were true but… something was telling her that there was another reason…

At least she could not sense the overwhelming qi of a void stage cultivator which meant that the captain was still in the qi tide stage.

The ability for a cultivator to cross realms and beat a higher tier opponent was a mere fantasy starting from the void realm.

The difference between a qi body and qi spirit cultivator was merely quantity but the void realm resulted in a shift in the quality of qi in the dantian.

The qi inside the dantian of a void stage cultivator had been transformed into an endless galaxy and infused with astral energy.

A mere fraction of this energy was more than what was inside the dantian of ten qi tide cultivators combined.

Fighting one at Sophie's current level would be suicide.

Now her main concern was how to modify the current plan.

The original idea that Sophie had thought of was to create four copies to engage the other knights using guerrilla tactics.

Quick hit and run strikes to disorient and kill the other Hyperion knights and force the captain to leave the safety of his tent.

However there really wasn't the need for this tactic anymore since the number of knights left were pitifully few.

Sophie was sure that she could clean them up in the first round. Maybe she could use the hit and run tactics on the captain instead?

Rsychosis!

The qi inside Sophie's meridians circulated in a pattern that was both mysterious and familiar.

The technique of the Arachnais clan was capable of turning an individual into an army.

Sophie closed her eyes and concentrated. She pushed the technique to the limit of her current understanding.

One…

Two…

Three…

She opened her eyes to find seven identical copies with each clone being outwardly indistinguishable from the others.

Sophie reached into her storage bag and wordlessly begun to pull out every single weapon and poison vial that she had been carrying.

Now was not the time to be stingy.

Sophie handed her clones a variety of weapons such as whips, guns, daggers, swords and even an axe.

She kept the most dangerous toxins to herself but the poisonous liquids inside some of the vials that she gave out to her clones were enough to kill an ordinary qi tide cultivator.

"The three of you will be responsible for cleaning up the small fry," Sophie pointed at the three clones at the back of the group.

"The rest of us will engage in pairs and hopefully wear down the captain. Immediately withdraw if things go south."

"Our main goal is to waste his time constantly fighting skirmishes. This will force him to use up most of his qi and then we can kill him with one swift strike."

"Any questions?"