Araespecter

No sound was audible in that moment, as if the place had fallen silent for a brief moment. The air carried a tense unease, only interrupted by the whisper of the wind through the cracks in the destroyed walls. In the midst of this somber atmosphere, a subtle yet unsettling sound resonated among the rubble, like the slithering of something dark and lurking.

Aria's senses slowly returned as the shock of the overwhelming situation she found herself in began to wear off. The body of Hilda lay on the ground, completely defenseless against the looming threat. The elongated leg pressed against her, seemingly intent on piercing through her.

With a deep sigh, Aria filled herself with determination. Taking advantage of the creature's lack of attention, she stealthily approached the giant spider, using every movement and debris around her to avoid detection.

"Here we go..." she murmured to herself as a silver glow gradually enveloped her body.

She sought the perfect moment and, with a surge of energy, launched herself forward with all her might. Her movement was swift and precise, catching the creature off guard. Aria unleashed all the strength she had accumulated within herself in that brief interval. Her leg struck the creature's side directly, causing a burst of pain and a deafening roar.

Momentarily bewildered by the unexpected attack, the creature released Hilda and took a few steps back, allowing Aria to run to her side. She knelt beside her, displaying a worried expression but still fearful of her surroundings.

"Hilda, are you okay?" she whispered fearfully, attempting to help her up.

She was so heavy! The fact that she had doubled in size made it difficult for Aria to lift her alone. But thanks to the Astraforge, which enhanced her physical strength, she managed to sling her over her shoulder.

A threatening and furious roar could be heard as the Araespecter, now with a thousand reddish eyes on its frontal body, glared at Aria and Hilda.

"S-shit..."

Aria immediately jumped with Hilda in her arms, narrowly evading the powerful attack that followed. The spider leg descended, causing havoc and raising a cloud of dust from the destruction it wrought.

She managed to distance herself enough to prop Hilda against the wall. But what to do? If Hilda couldn't defeat that thing, it would be impossible for Aria to achieve such a feat.

She contemplated her options, escape being among them, but a murmur drew her out of her thoughts.

"*Cough cough* Damn it... venom is the worst." Hilda's voice sounded weak but displayed a smile despite it.

"Hilda! I'm glad you're okay. What happened?"

But as she tried to converse, an enormous leg emerged from the dust, attempting to crush them both in a single attack.

"Watch out! Its legs have paralyzing venom."

Upon hearing that, Aria would once again seek to dodge the attack, moving alongside Hilda. A precise leap to land on one of the shattered statues, distancing themselves from the creature's range of attack.

"Tch, to think I let my guard down... Aria, you'll have to buy me some time while I recover."

...

Much easier said than done! She was the one who had to risk her neck against that terrifying and repulsive thing; just looking at it made her tremble. But she understood that it would be the only way to escape that place alive.

With a sigh, she left Hilda where she lay and took a step forward.

A four-star threat.

A threat that was far superior to her.

Despite that, Aria wore a smile on her face. When the Astraforge surrounded her body, she felt as light as a feather. Confidence filled her being, as if she could do anything. In a way, it reminded her of a feeling so familiar, so ingrained in her being that she seemed surprised she had forgotten it. That's how she felt when she danced ballet.

Free and unbound.

Without saying a word, her body moved forward on its own, seeking to draw the attention of that creature.

"Here I am, you beast! Can you catch me?"

She moved with small coordinated steps across the terrain, barely touching the ground with the tips of her toes, moving at a surprising speed even for Hilda, who watched everything from where she was. It was as if she were dancing again, evading the creature's legs that descended time and time again in an attempt to crush her.

When she was close enough to the creature, Aria performed a sweep, causing one of its legs to be sent flying, cleanly severed with surprising ease. The beast's howl was immediate; it was hurt by what had just happened.

Aria smiled unusually. Despite the fear she felt, despite the chaotic situation she was in, she was happy not because of the fight, but because of the sense of liberation that overwhelmed her. She hadn't felt this way in a long time, and it was somewhat addictive.

"Come on, spider. Ready to continue?"

Her words emerged with a certain confidence.

However, consumed by fury and anger, the spider let out a mighty roar that caused the entire hall to tremble. The sound of something crawling became louder, somewhat surprising Aria, who hadn't noticed it until now. Finally, she could distinguish several dark figures moving among the rubble and shadows, slowly advancing towards her.

More spiders, albeit smaller in size, but still gigantic compared to those in her dimension. Aria was momentarily paralyzed by surprise, and then she began to retreat as the spiders slowly advanced towards her.

"More spiders! How disgusting!" Aria murmured with a disgusted grimace on her face. Were they perhaps her offspring?

She hadn't noticed until now, but the place was littered with bones among the rubble, and there were a few cocoons in the dark corners. This was their nest, and now she would have to face a legion of these disgusting insects.

Unexpectedly, the spiders lunged at Aria, taking her by surprise. She started moving quickly, evading their hairy and sharp legs with agile and precise movements. Aria tried to find an opportunity to attack, but her attention was divided between the spiders and the Araespecter, which was now retreating.

The spiders, on their part, seemed to be acting in unison, attacking Aria from different angles and attempting to trap her with their venomous spider webs, which they spat out like projectiles from their mouths. Couldn't they be any more repulsive? They repulsed her, but she didn't have time to think about it.

She raised her leg into the air, then brought it down like an axe, crushing one of the spiders and causing its disgusting innards to splatter everywhere.

"Ugh!"

The traces that stuck to Aria's clothes were purplish, just like everything inside them.

Hilda observed all this with some surprise. Not so much because Aria was doing a good job, but because of the peculiarity of a being like that leaving offspring in a temple controlled by the Fuzz. Was it trying to take over the entire place? Many questions passed through her mind in those moments.

As she fought and defeated spiders, Aria began to feel increasingly tired and desperate. The initial surge of energy was fading, and there was no way she could fight so many spiders at once.

"Aria! Get out of the way!"

Hilda's cry immediately caught Aria's attention, causing her to look surprised in her direction.

That's when she saw it.

The golden energy surrounding Hilda's body gradually condensed in her arms, becoming more and more intense. As the light intensified, two spheres could be seen in her fists. The sight seemed as if she were holding two suns in her hands, and the pressure emanating from her was enough to make Aria's hair stand on end. Then, the Astraforge began to take shape, forging two golden gauntlets that appeared to be made of pure gold.

"Double Impact!"

With those words, Hilda unleashed two simultaneous punches straight towards Aria's position.

She remembered Hilda's warning, but more than her words, the overwhelming feeling that she had to get out of the way took hold of her. Aria leapt back with force.

Suddenly, the golden gauntlets emitted an enormous surge of energy that took the form of a beam. It traveled a great distance rapidly and upon impact with the spiders, they began convulsing violently before their bodies disintegrated in the air. Within seconds, the spiders had completely vanished, and the golden beam advanced, piercing through a palace wall, shattering it as it faded into the distance.

"Phew... that was intense..."

Hilda would fall back onto her own rear, showing extreme exhaustion.

"Hilda! That was amazing!" exclaimed Aria, still astonished by what she had just witnessed.

Hilda smiled, running her finger under her nose in pride as she chuckled to herself.

The Araespecter roared in fury as it witnessed its offspring being eliminated by Hilda's attack. Its multiple red eyes emitted a sinister gleam as it moved swiftly, seeking an opportunity to attack. Aria, who had been battling the spiders, instinctively turned toward the creature, prepared to face it once again.

She was angry, very angry.

Aria gasped for breath, her body aching greatly, and she could feel her muscles tearing little by little. These were the effects of overusing the Astraforge; she still wasn't accustomed to so much power in her body, and it was taking its toll.

"Come on, monster!" Aria shouted.

But before she could do anything, the Araespecter unleashed a new wave of venomous spider webs towards them.

Aria quickly moved to dodge them, but some of the webs managed to reach her.

"Sh-shit..." she was instantly trapped and paralyzed.

The creature advanced slowly toward Aria, its hairy and sharp legs striking the ground with force. It seemed to relish in the fear it provoked in the young fair-haired girl, emitting a sinister sound that resembled laughter.

A new roar emanated from the creature, followed by more spiders that began to surround a weakened Aria.

What could she do?

"Hold on, Aria! I just need to regain a bit more strength."

Hilda spoke as she fought off the spiders that were also trying to attack her. They were in a precarious situation.

Terrified and powerless, Aria tried to free herself from the spider web, managing to break free with great difficulty. But this didn't change the fact that she couldn't move properly. She would be unable to face the spiders that were closing in on her.

Would she die in this place without being able to see her sister?

In that moment of desperation, when it seemed all hope was lost, a bright light emanated from the ancient throne. A warm glow that dispelled the darkness.

The spiders let out cries of pain and retreated, as if repelled by the light.

Aria watched in astonishment as the light bathed her, feeling her energy returning and the paralysis fading away.

How was that possible? She didn't have time to ponder this miracle; her green eyes focused on the Araespecter, which was also emitting loud roars of anger and confusion.

Taking advantage of the spiders' weakened state, she began to dispatch them. One by one, they fell at Aria's feet, as she seemed to perform a deadly dance around each one.

Hilda, on her part, had eliminated a good number of spiders that had attempted to attack her and was now running toward the Araespecter. Aria followed closely behind.

"This is our chance," Hilda said as she concentrated her energy into her fists.

Aria nodded.

Hilda launched the first attack, striking the Araespecter with her golden gauntlets. The impact was so strong that the creature was pushed back several meters, its multiple red eyes gleaming with fury.

Aria seized the opportunity to deliver a powerful kick, hitting the Araespecter in the side. The creature let out a deafening roar as it retreated, trying to recover from the impact.

"You're finished!" Hilda exclaimed from high above, several meters above the Araespecter. "Lion Fist!"

Powerful energy emanated from her fists, taking the form of a lion as it descended upon the creature's body with unmatched force. In seconds, the body of the Araespecter would be crushed against the ground, and under the pressure, it would burst into a thousand pieces.

Both Aria and Hilda would be splattered with a disgusting purplish liquid.

"Ugh, how gross..." Aria exclaimed as her face turned blue from the repulsiveness of the situation.

A strong pat on Aria's back made her eyes nearly pop out from the impact.

"Hahaha! Not bad for a novice," Hilda said, laughing with joy.

The light disappeared as suddenly as it had appeared, leaving Aria and Hilda in an unsettling silence. They looked around, trying to comprehend what had just happened.

"What was that?" Aria asked, still amazed by what had occurred.

"Kyuuun."

It was then that they saw a white dot on the ancient and ruined throne. It was a Fuzz with white fur.

"Ah! It's the Divine Fuzz," Aria exclaimed, surprised to see that she hadn't imagined the creature and that it really existed.

[I'm glad to see that you know me, human.]

???

What? What was that voice she had just heard?

"That thing... Did it speak directly to my head?" Hilda exclaimed with disbelief in her voice.

So, she hadn't imagined it. That creature had spoken to both of them.

Would it be a friend or an enemy? It was something they would have to find out.