The Spider Queen

(Alpha Star System- Planet Gaia)

(Peterlor Estate- Training Room #43)

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Sophie's body vanished from the spot and a blurry figure could be seen ducking and weaving through a hail of plasma fire.

"Too slow for a real challenge," Duke Peterlor muttered as he adjusted the settings on the control device.

Additional gun turrets popped up from the ground and launched a fresh wave of attacks at his daughter.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Sophie's golden eyes darkened as she felt a surge of power rush through her body. A faint crimson mist was beginning to spread from the corners of her eyes.

Bloodlust... rage... killing intent...

A chilling pressure descended on the training field. Duke Peterlor raised an eyebrow but showed no reaction to the fearsome killing intent.

At his level it was akin to a mere spring breeze, but an ordinary qi tide cultivator would have been paralyzed in fear.

Sophie used her enhanced reflexes to continually dodge the plasma rounds but it was getting increasingly difficult.

Her father just kept adjusting the settings so that more and more weapons were firing at her position with no respite.

It was time to use her secret technique. Sophie slowed her breathing and began to circulate her qi in a specific pattern.

Rsychosis!

Multiple identical copies of herself suddenly appeared out of thin air. Sophie used her clones to purposefully block any shots that she could not avoid.

Duke Peterlor kept his face expressionless but was secretly pleased by his daughter's out of the box thinking.

Compared to her peers, it was not a lie to say that Sophie probably had the most combat experience.

The way she fought and how she reacted to unexpected factors during a fight was similar to a veteran soldier in the Imperial Army.

Although... knowing the price that his daughter had to pay in order to acquire those skills...

Duke Peterlor felt both regretful and guilty.

But he could not afford to dwell on those thoughts. What happened to Sophie in the Unovan Syndicate would not change.

All he could do now was support his daughter and provide a safe and loving environment for her to heal.

And part of that healing process involved training her to control the strange abilities and gifts bestowed by the so-called 'Hunter Goddess.'

"Remember the goal of today's training is to control your berserker state. I want you to activate the goddess' power and fight seriously," Duke Peterlor spoke sternly.

He pressed a button on the side of the control device and the firing stopped.

Sophie's clones had a few superficial wounds on their bodies, but the original Sophie was virtually untouched.

"Are... are you sure?" Sophie whispered hesitantly.

The faint reddish mist in her eyes was already beginning to fade as Sophie subconsciously pushed down her feelings of bloodlust.

Duke Peterlor's confident laughter echoed through the training room as he pulled a wooden sword out of his storage ring.

"My daughter... believe me... I am in no danger. I know that you may feel reluctant to use your gift, but it is very important that you get it under control," Duke Peterlor explained.

"Your power is yours to command. No matter what happens once your berserker state is unleashed... I will still love you just the same."

Sophie heard sniffs and turned around to see some of her clones tearing up. The hybrid girl let out a light sigh and closed her eyes.

When she reopened them, there was nothing but determination in her gaze. Her father believed in her and that was all that mattered.

"Come... I am ready," Sophie hoarsely growled.

For once she relaxed and indulged in the dark desires lurking in her heart. It was a thrill to finally be able to cut loose and those twisted sensations sent chills down her spine.

Bloodlust surged in her veins and Sophie could feel her power growing by the second.

The ground beneath her feet cracked under the pressure and subtle changes were beginning to occur to her body.

Sophie's fangs lengthened and the bladed tip at the end of her appendages started to glow ominously.

Her golden eyes were swallowed up by a terrifying crimson red colour that made her appearance resemble a demon from hell.

The world around her slowed down to a crawl and Sophie could easily see the faint rising and falling of her father's chest as he inhaled and exhaled.

Kill... kill... kill...

Hunt... hunt... hunt...

Those words kept echoing louder and louder in Sophie's mind until they became a never-ending cacophony of noise.

Sophie growled animalistically as she crouched down on the ground.

The mirror clones next to her were also affected by her berserker state due to the mental connection and were transforming into mindless beasts.

"Just as dangerous and beautiful as her mother," Duke Peterlor whispered softly.

Despite the horrifying sight before him there was a faint hint of nostalgia and fondness in the duke's eyes.

He held the wooden sword firmly in his hand and took a few deep breaths before getting into position.

Clearly, he could not use his full strength, but he may not be able to handle his daughter if he limited himself to the qi tide stage.

Perhaps strength in the realm of the early stages of the void would be most suitable when sparring with his daughter.

Sophie extended her bladed appendages outwards and then rushed forward towards the figure of her father.

She leapt high into the air and then violently punched forward towards his chest.

Sophie used her full strength in the blow and grinned as she imagined the blood that was about to be spilled.

BOOM!

Sophie was forced to take a few steps back as her father nonchalantly blocked her blow using the training sword.

The crimson colour in Sophie's eyes darkened and the thrill of hunting a dangerous prey made her blood boil in excitement.

Sophie ran on all fours along the ground and used her four bladed appendages as lances to pierce through her father's defenses.

BOOM!

Once again Sophie's body was sent flying by another casual blow from the wooden sword.

There was still a thin thread of reason in her mind so instead of going in for another attack she sent a message to her mirror copies.

Sophie ran away to the corner of the training room and quietly observed as her clones ran towards her father.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Duke Peterlor sent them flying before they could even make contact with his body. His movements seemed slow as Sophie viewed them with her enhanced vision and yet...

Why were her clones having trouble avoiding them?

Sophie growled darkly and cautiously inched closer while keeping her eyes on the duke's movements.

The killing intent inside her mind was beginning to cloud her judgement.

She wanted... no... she needed to see some blood.

Sophie's nails slowly grew until they more resembled claws than what would usually be seen on a normal hand.

The hybrid girl's figure vanished from the spot, and she reappeared behind her father's back just as he was dealing with one of her clones.

Sophie opened her mouth wide and prepared to bite into his neck and inject a deadly dose of venom.

Snap!

"Arghh!!!!" Sophie screamed in pain as her fangs shattered against the duke's skin. The hybrid girl tried to escape but the duke softly slapped his palm against her stomach.

Once again Sophie flew back but this time her body crashed against the wall of the training room and landed with a dull thump.

The duke froze in place and hurriedly ran over to make sure that his daughter was alright.

Had he gone too far? Damn it! What was he thinking?

"Sophie... are you alrigh..." Duke Peterlor never got to finish his words as a shadowy blur leapt towards him.

Sophie's eyes gleamed with madness and her shattered fangs were quickly regenerating as if the injury had never occurred.

Duke Peterlor used his sword to parry and block most of her wild attacks, but the heavy weight of the blows brought an incredulous smile to his face.

His daughter was currently fighting just like a wild animal with no regards for her safety or defenses.

Because he was a god stage cultivator, the duke could easily pick out the flaws in her movements and end the fight, but he decided to wait a bit longer.

Sophie's attacks previously had been within the realm of the qi tide stage but now that she had fully lost control...

It was impressive just how much her strength had multiplied. In addition, her speed and reflexes were much higher than before.

Holy Sword Art- Form Seven

Light spear!

The wooden sword in the duke's hand glowed as numerous yellow symbols appeared along the edges of the blade.

A celestial aura surrounded the duke's body, and he pierced forward using the sword with the same motions as if he were using a spear.

Sophie crossed her arms and blocked the brunt of the attack. She growled hoarsely and used her right palm to grab the wooden sword.

Duke Peterlor was forced to let go of his weapon as the multiple bladed appendages on Sophie's back shot forward and narrowly missed him.

Impressive...