The Spider Queen

(Hydra Star System- Planet Eleron)

(Training Field No.12- Special Arena)

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A relentless barrage of plasma rounds was launched at the damaged section of the enormous worm-like monster.

The beast screeched in agony as foul greenish blood burst out of its wounds and stained the desert sands.

"Keep up the offensive! Use all the firepower that you have left!" Sophie commanded as she led from the backlines.

The hybrid girl flung needles after needle at the monster and their pointed tips sank into its fleshy exterior.

Sophie closed her eyes and connected her qi to the toxins on the edge of the needles and manipulated the poison to flow in a certain direction.

Rather than attack all the organs at once it was better to concentrate on a singular organ to ensure a complete shutdown.

Blackie's three heads continued to gather flames within their throats and spit out massive fireballs that raised the temperature of the already scorching desert heat.

The Quafes boy whispered something softly to his combat pet and the tiny leech disappeared from his hand.

Meanwhile the Mendolesa warrior holding the bow concentrated and a burst of qi erupted from his claws.

The arrow nocked on his bowstring glowed a faint golden colour as he activated a technique using all of his strength.

Bow Technique- Apollo's Strike!

The arrow was launched from his bow and flew towards the monster at a startling speed.

The projectile moved so quickly that even Sophie had to narrow her eyes to see its movements.

It entered the fleshy underbelly on the creature and tore open an enormous gash right below where its stomach should be.

The worm-like monster let out an ear-piercing shriek that was so loud that several students' eardrums instantly ruptured.

Blood leaked out of their ears as they were temporarily deafened. Sophie gritted her teeth in pain as her enhanced senses made the scream feel like torture.

Fortunately, her eardrum instantly regenerated thanks to her healing factor so she was able to hear once more.

The worm-like monster rolled on the ground several times before slowly raising its body upright to the sky.

A section of its chest began to bulge and twist creepily as the beast wriggled and squirmed as if it were possessed.

Something burst out of the bulge and a spray of greenish liquid fell on some unlucky mirror copies who were standing too close.

Sophie's clones that were affected by the sudden attack did not even have any time to react before their bodies instantly dissolved.

The tide of the battlefield had instantly changed but Sophie realised something important as she gestured for Luna to move back.

The worm-like monster was desperate. Why else would it use an attack that would harm itself at the expense of hurting its enemies.

Furthermore… why wasn't it escaping back underground?

Could it be that the toxins in its body were interfering with its nervous system?

Sophie closed her eyes and communicated with the mirror copy who held the glass container that was filled with her enhanced venom.

[Run at the monster and jump into its stomach with the container.]

The mirror copy sent back a mental image of herself giving Sophie the middle finger before breaking out into a mad dash.

"Move back! You don't want to get caught in the spray!" Sophie yelled loudly and gestured using her hands to signal a retreat.

Some of the other students were still deaf so she had no choice but to use exaggerated movements to get them to listen.

Blackie's middle head gently picked up Luna and placed her on his back before running a few meters away.

Sophie followed him closely while keeping a careful eye on the humanoid figure that was nearing the open wound on the worm-like monster's stomach.

The mirror image narrowly dodged a spray of greenish liquid and then crouched down to gather momentum.

With one powerful leap, she jumped into the air and landed on the monster's skin.

Sophie's clone hung on for dear life as the creature began to shake furiously in an attempt to get her off its body.

She used the blade-like appendages on her back to dig into the monster's fleshy exterior and get a better grip.

The mirror copy scuttled up the worm's body with movements that resembled a spider until she reached the open wound.

Without a second of hesitation, the clone jumped into the wound while simultaneously unscrewing the top of the glass container.

[Enjoy the painful memories!]

Sophie furrowed her brows for a moment as she felt the sensation of her flesh melting away into a puddle of meat.

She clenched her fist to regain control of her emotions and focused on the matter at hand. It was time to manipulate the venom.

Poison Art….

Huh?!

Sophie stopped circulating her qi and watched in amazement as the worm stiffened and then collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.

It twitched once before remaining motionless. A few students fired a couple of shots at its body but there was no reaction.

Did it die instantly after exposure to her venom?

Sophie knew that her glands could enhance toxins but even she did not know that her ability had grown to be so powerful.

"Did we do it? Is the beast dead?" someone asked curiously as she glanced at the body of the monster.

"Yeah, it should be dead," Sophie calmly replied as she let out a hidden sigh of relief.

The faint crimson mist that was slowly covering her golden eyes gradually faded away once the battle had ended.

Cheers erupted from the surviving students as they glanced at one another with expressions of triumph.

No one had expected that they would actually be able to take down the sixty-foot-tall monster so their respect for Sophie grew considerably.

The hybrid girl glanced upwards and saw that the floating lines of text on the holographic projection had changed.

The countdown to the end of the stage was now featured front and center on the screen and the time left was not much.

[Time Remaining: Two hours… One hour fifty-nine minutes…]