NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 24: Monster
Chapter 24: Monster
"Darkness' Apex," Noah whispered. He felt his Tenebris Spiders' Robes tighten around him like a prisoner's suit.
His Nocturne also blended into the robes, which was important for using this powerful ability.
Dark threads scaled over his exposed skin, wrapping him in a cocoon that left only his hair free.
Surprisingly, Nocturne popped out on top of Noah's head, nestling in his hair with its two adorable eyes.
Eight spider legs tipped with blades sprouted from his back, and a mantle of darkness extended from his lower back to his shadow.
Although countless dark webs covered his faceless cocoon in an irregular pattern, Noah could see fine.
His vision was enhanced, and he also had Nocturne's perspective.
He stood like a monster incarnate of darkness, drawing excited gasps from Eleonora and a broad smile from Athena.
They sensed how powerful he had become, and it thrilled them.
Noah nodded at them, then raised his hand forward.
From far away, a dark thread shot toward him, and he caught it.
It recoiled and pulled him toward the group of monsters closing in.
It was one of the Tenebris Spiders' abilities, allowing them to weave dark silk from shadows.
Night, shadow, and darkness were where Tenebris Spiders excelled, turning the surroundings into their hunting ground.
In less than thirty seconds, Noah saw a group of ghouls and black bears heading his way.
The ghouls wore leather armor and carried bows and short swords, looking like hunters meant to kill these black bears.
The black bears were twice the size of normal Earth bears, appearing menacing and hostile.
In a strange twist, the ghouls and bears now worked together to kill everyone.
Like Athena said, anything was possible in these trials.
Standing on a thick branch, Noah shaped a canopy of dark webs that emerged from tree shadows and leaves.
He watched like an architect as his power formed the trap.
When the army passed beneath his hunting zone, Noah dropped from his branch.
He fell like a heavy rock onto one of the black bears.
The impact crushed its bones and drove its flesh deep into its body, pinning it to the ground.
Not only did he kill it instantly, he also blasted a cloud of debris around himself.
He did not expect such power, but with Darkness' Apex boosting his instincts, he stayed focused.
He elongated his eight spider legs, and they skewered several ghouls through their heads, killing them on the spot.
Other black bears saw the commotion and charged at Noah.
Five of them loomed over him, their massive bodies seeming like a dead end for him.
His back blades moved faster than they could react, shooting out and halting them.
Meanwhile, the ghouls fired arrows at Noah.
Before the arrows reached him, dark webs sprang from the shadows all around, blocking them with their elastic strands.
The arrows stuck and dangled in midair.
Like a lord of darkness, Noah commanded the blanket of web above to drop on the ghouls.
While darkness descended onto the battlefield, he pulled back his spider blades, then spun in a full circle slash that tore the five black bears around him into three pieces each.
He dashed over to the hanging arrows and pulled them, using his webs like a bowstring to shoot the ghouls' own arrows at them.
Some ghouls were stuck, unable to counter the pouring darkness, and Noah easily dispatched them with those arrows.
More black bears ran at him, swinging their claws like boxers, but he dodged with heightened speed.
Each time he evaded, he countered with a heavy punch that broke bones and mangled flesh.
When trouble arose and he was about to be hit, he disappeared.
He could turn invisible after each kill, a perk of his evolved innate ability.
He saved that power for moments like this, then relocated using his threads.
Standing above the defeated army, Noah looked down at them.
He had killed many ghouls and black bears with his raw strength and spider blades, which could extend beyond his back.
Those blades worked for offense, defense, and movement.
His best trick was producing dark threads from all the nearby shadows, disarming enemies and choking them.
Moving quickly from place to place with them also helped, since he could not teleport.
He overwhelmed the first group of enemies without much effort and did not even test the Tenebris Spider's other abilities.
After five minutes, he felt a great burden, like heavier gravity around him.
He could maintain the darkness husk and keep fighting, but it wore him down.
Against a strong, even opponent, it would be tough to keep up.
He realized he had to be smart when using Darkness' Apex, defeating dangerous enemies within five minutes.
With that knowledge, he turned and returned to his beloveds' side.