Chapter 12: Muffet’s Squad

Muffet and her squad stood face to face with the werewolves. The armor-clad beasts growled menacingly. As Muffet prepared to issue her commands, a small girl with twin tailed green hair from the squad stepped forward.

"I-I'm scared," she stammered with widened eyes. "They don't have colors."

Muffet turned to her with a smirk. "That's all the more reason to fight," she said firmly. "The unknown is what makes us stronger."

With a swift motion, Muffet raised her hand and let out a beam of white light which pierced through one of the werewolves. The creature let out a howl of pain before collapsing to the ground, defeated.

The small girl’s mouth dropped. "That's Mystcry Arts #30, Cutting Lights, without incantation! How did you do that?"

Hyorine stepped in to explain. "The way Muffet fights is unlike anyone else. She wields her spells as if they are an extension of her blade. Very few can rival her in a battle of spells. She has learned to use them quickly and efficiently, so much so that for some spells, she doesn't even require to say the chant."

Muffet unleashed the Cutting Lights spell repeatedly. Each beam of white light struck without fail eliminating the creatures one by one. Her speed and precisely timed attacks were unmatched and left the werewolves no chance to retaliate.

Hyorine continued. "Muffet has trained relentlessly to master her spells. In a battle of spells, she is nearly unbeatable."

Muffet's relentless assault soon reduced the pack of werewolves to nothing but lifeless bodies. She stood amidst the fallen creatures with a satisfied smile on her face.

"That's how you deal with the unknown," Muffet said, turning to her squad. "Face it head-on and show it no mercy."

A howl echoed through the desolate village. Soon after, more werewolves emerged from the shadows.

Muffet, with one hand casually resting on her hip, turned to her squad, a smirk playing on her lips. "Are you all just going to let me have all the fun?" she teased.

Hyorine and the others jumped forwad. "No, ma'am!" they chorused in unison.

They began chanting their spell incantations. Beams of light, crackling bolts of energy, and swirling gusts of wind were sent in the sky. They engaged the werewolves with a coordinated assault. While not as individually powerful as Muffet, their combined efforts created a mighty force.

The werewolves fell one by one, unable to withstand the relentless barrage; however, amidst the war, one agile creature slipped past the group at the small girl.

The small girl tried to recall a spell, any spell, desperately grasping for a number but her body froze up in place.

"Come on, come on," she urged herself. But nothing came. The werewolf loomed closer bringing terror to her entire being.

"Oh no," she whispered to herself, panic seizing her. "I... I froze. It looks so scary. I joined Squad Six because I heard this squad was for people who were scared of battle. To help us conquer that fear. That's what it said on the building and what they told me. And now... now I'm going to die here."

Hyorine, noticing the threat, fired a blast of energy at the werewolf. The creature dodged with alarming speed, avoiding the attack effortlessly. Hyorine gritted her teeth in frustration.

Drawing her blade, Hyorine's eyes burned with rage. "How dare you!" she shouted, thrusting her blade upwards in a powerful strike. The werewolf was sent flying back, landing with a thud on the ground.

Hyorine stood infront of the small girl without looking back."You okay new recruit? You look like you can't call a spell."

The small girl trembled, "I... I can't. I froze. I'm so scared."

"I know this is your first mission, but you've got to get it together. You have to fight back. You can do this. We all joined Squad Six for a reason. To overcome our fears and face them head on rather than to run away from them. Don’t let the fear control you. You have to control the fear."

The small girl nodded, her resolve slowly building. "Okay. I'll try."

Hyorine turned back to the werewolf, her blade ready. "Stay behind me, and attack if you see an opening."

Meanwhile, Muffet dashed off ahead, her eyes locked on the gigantic werewolf at the back of the pack. She made quick work of anything that got in her way, her movements a blur of deadly precision. "I'm going on ahead!" Muffet shouted.

The werewolf that had lunged at the small girl growled, a strange glow taking over its body. The small girl asked while trembling, "What's happening?"

Hyorine's eyes narrowed as she assessed the situation. "It looks like it's increasing its power."

The werewolf backed off slightly, making Hyorine's concern deepen. Suddenly, she sensed three other werewolves slipping past their defenses, all heading straight for her.

“Mystcry Arts #5, Shade!”

A small, condensed barrier formed around her, shattering as the first werewolf attacked.

Hyorine wasted no time, immediately transitioning to Mystcry Arts #30, Cutting Lights. She unleashed a devastating beam which pierced through the second werewolf. With fluid grace, she slashed at the third one and cut through it effortlessly.

The small girl watched in awe as Hyorine handled three of them at once, Her fear was momentarily forgotten in the face of such skill and bravery.

The werewolves that remained stepped back. One squad member, a tall woman with short, purple spiky hair looked back to the others and shouted. "Be careful. It looks like the werewolves are up to something."

Without warning, the werewolves darted off in different directions. Their movements were now coordinated and precise. They were aiming to flank the squad, attacking with a newfound intelligence. The mystcry spells that had worked so effectively earlier were now being avoided at every turn.

"Dammit!" one squad member shouted as a werewolf narrowly dodged a blast of energy. "They're learning!"

Another squad member who was a woman that had red pixie hair with a scar across her cheek grunted in pain as a werewolf's fangs sank into their arm. "They're biting us!"

Chaos erupted as the werewolves launched a brutal counterattack. Squad members were bitten and slashed. The small girl watched in horror as her comrades fell around her.

Hyorine growled. "This is not good. They're turning the tables on us!"

The small girl raised her hands up clenched to her face. She couldn't let her fear paralyze her any longer. She had to help. She stepped in front of a group of werewolves, her hands trembling but her resolve firm.

"Wait!" Hyorine shouted, but the small girl didn't hesitate. She focused, summoning her courage and recalling the incantation she had learned.

"Mystcry Arts #15: Blinding Flash!"

A bright burst of light erupted from her hands. The werewolves recoiled, momentarily blinded. The small girl took advantage of their disorientation, rushing to a squad member's side and pulling her away from the snapping jaws of a werewolf.

The squad member breathed heavily, but looked at her savior with gratitude. "Thank you."

The small girl nodded with a smile coming to her face. "We can do this!”

Hyorine, seeing the small girl's bravery, felt a surge of pride. She turned to the rest of the squad. "Regroup! Use the blinding flash to our advantage. We need to fight smart!"

The squad members rallied, using coordinated attacks to exploit the werewolves' momentary blindness. The tide of the battle began to turn once more as the werewolves struggled to adapt to the new tactics.

Muffet, still ahead, noticed the change in the werewolves' behavior while looking back momentarily. She grinned, feeling a thrill at the challenge. "Looks like they're putting up a fight. Good. Let's see what they're really made of."

Muffet pushed through the battlefield with ease, her Mystcry Arts cutting down werewolves in single, decisive strikes. Her squad fought fiercely behind her, emboldened by the small girl's bravery and Hyorine's leadership. They were holding their ground, but Muffet had her eyes set on a greater challenge.

Ahead, the crimson werewolf loomed. It towered over the other werewolves. As Muffet approached, the giant werewolf looked down at her

"You have a high level of Mystcry energy," it rumbled. "You must be a Captain."

Muffet smirked, her wild pinkish-red hair cascading down her back as she stood confidently. "That's right," she said with a smirk."I'm Muffet, Captain of Squad 6 and the strongest Mystcry spell user you'll ever meet."

The werewolf's eyes narrowed, sizing her up. "You think you can defeat me, human?"

"Considering how easily I’ve taken out your army, defeating you shouldn't be a challenge," Muffet retorted.

The werewolf laughed, a deep, resonant sound that echoed through the desolate village. "Try to entertain me, human. I look forward to devouring you. The more humans we devour, the stronger our power grows. And when my power grows, so does the power of all werewolves."

Muffet’s eyes gleamed with intrigue. "Makes sense since you're their leader."

"No, I am not their leader. I am the Werewolf General, however. I am known as Calibro"

Muffet's eyebrow arched in curiosity as she raised one hand to her chin. "How could that be?"

“Our Leader calls herself the Lady of the Lycan Senodokidatsu, and while you may have high Mystcry, it pales in comparison to her’s!”

Muffet's curiosity piqued, and her smile turned almost predatory. "Huh? Now that’s interesting! "

The werewolf snarled, preparing to attack. "Let's see if you can handle me, Captain. Atleast if you can beat me, you might be able to meet the Lady!"

With a swift motion, Muffet unleashed Mystcry Art #30, Cutting Lights, repeatedly at Calibro. However, to her surprise, the attacks seemed to have little effect. Calibro stood firm, barely flinching as the light beams struck him.

Muffet's eyes widened in realization. "No effect?"

Calibro chuckled darkly. "So this is what the others were dying you from," he mused. With sudden speed, he lunged at Muffet, his claws slashing through the air where she had stood moments before. Muffet dodged just in time, the wind from Calibro's attack brushing against her.

Calibro straightened, a menacing glint in his eyes. "I have a high tolerance for magical attacks, thanks to the Lady. Your spells may do some damage, but not enough to defeat me. It looks like you won’t be getting past me after all."

Muffet narrowed her eyes, assessing her opponent. After doing so, she focused her Mystcry energy, channeling it into her next move.

"Mystcry arts #45, Doom of Silence!"

A dark hand emerged from the ground, crafted from her Mystcry. Muffet poured all her energy into the spell, pushing herself to increase the hand's size and power. It surged forward, wrapping around Calibro's massive form, binding him in place. The werewolf general struggled against the mystical restraint, growling with frustration as the dark energy coiled around him.

"I've got you now," Muffet muttered to herself, her eyes fixed on Calibro. 'I need to use more powerful spells....if I go into the 90's though.... nah that would just drain nearly all my Mystcry. Where’s the fun in that...'

Before she could finish contemplating her next move, Calibro broke free from the binding with surprising speed. In a swift, unexpected maneuver, he lunged at Muffet, his claws crackling with dark Mystcry energy. Muffet barely had time to react as Calibro's attack connected, sending her reeling backwards.

The world turned grey around Muffet as the impact of Calibro's strike left her momentarily stunned. She shook her head to clear the daze and coughed out some blood.

"Dark Mystcry energy..." Muffet muttered as blood drained down from her mouth."That changes things."

"Thank you for showing me your power," Calibro said while raising his claw"Now, allow me to show you mine."

Muffet grinned slowly, wiping the blood from her mouth with a chuckle. "Well, well, well... this may be fun after all."

Calibro lunged forward with another burst of dark Mystcry energy, but Muffet was ready. With a swift motion, she unsheathed her blade.

"I have a surprise for you…Let's see how you handle this!"