The battle continued, and Edward was assaulted from every direction. However, he kept enduring, able to avoid the tarantulas’ attacks while retaliating. His mobility was unmatched, even while being forced to fight in midair to avoid a portal opening under his feet, his aura step technique meant he always had support to move as he wished. Edward chained acrobatics, exceeding every gymnast’s dream. As one spider was dropping on him from above while another was coming under him at a different angle, Edward jumped onto the side, somersaulted on an aura step, and landed on the spider coming from above, landing several hits before being forced to avoid another attack. He only used his teleportation when he found himself in a bind, relying on his technique and movement speed most of the time.

However, as the situation didn’t change, the spiders’ aura armor still holding on, Edward was pondering on a way to end the exchange. The longer the fight lasted, the more the probability of him making a mistake increased. He had increased the density of his aura blades as much as he could, but it was still taking time to pierce through the monsters’ armor.

He mentally reviewed the list of his abilities. I’m already using my teleportation and acceleration. As for spells, I’m also using my enhanced perception to keep up with my acceleration, and my telepathy is useless in a solo fight. Aura is my most versatile ability, but I can’t increase the aura density of my blades anymore without destabilizing them and creating an aura blast. Such a blast wouldn’t injure them while they have their armor, at most, it would only buy me a few seconds.

I also have the flamethrower Leyla gave me. I could burn the webs around me, preventing the spiders from opening their portals. But it will take time to burn a big enough area of webs, and it won’t help me if they simply wait outside the burn area. The only thing left is the rune bombs.

Edward hesitated, remembering the insane power of those bombs when he had destroyed the spider nests. But he recalled that the force of those explosions was mostly due to the excess mana gathered inside the nest. With only the mana that he would provide to the bomb, the explosion would be a lot less impressive. This suited him just fine since he didn’t particularly fancy dying in a big explosion.

A moderate explosion was manageable, it could destabilize the spider’s armor enough for him to sweep in afterward and take advantage of it without being included in the blast as well. Now, all he needed was to place the spiders where he wanted and to fight at the right time to drop the bomb on them. I need to bait them. I will give them a false opening, and let them think I made a mistake. I also need to charge the bomb in advance without warning them.

Edward thought back to the time when he had been caught by one such tarantula, immobilized by webs, and paralyzed by venom. He had needed to use his aura to manipulate and inject himself with a healing syringe. This was something he rarely used since it could only move small objects but it was perfect for what he wanted to do.

He teleported away as if he wanted to flee, it bought him a few seconds to focus. With his aura he picked one of Leyla’s rune bombs, making it float until it was resting against his back. He kept it there while beginning to charge it with mana.

The spiders continued their assault with renewed vigor sensing weakness from Edward’s supposed attempt at escape. Edward reinforced this impression, slowly turning on the defensive, prioritizing evasion instead of retaliation. He didn’t have to fake it that much with how aggressively the spiders were behaving. Additionally, he was busy manipulating the rune bomb so that it stayed right next to him while he was charging it with his mana. As he was battling, he was continuing to move away from where the Arachne had been as if he still had the hope to escape the tarantulas.

When he sensed that the bomb was ready, he even started to lower in altitude, as if he had trouble maintaining his aura steps. Naturally, the monsters noticed the change, and they pounced on him ready to turn Edward into bloody shreds. Three tarantulas were attacking him at the same time, covering most of the angles where he could escape, and the two other spiders were waiting behind, ready to ambush him if he somehow managed to escape the first wave.

Edward dropped the bomb and teleported away, avoiding the spiders which were diving at the bomb, and appearing above them at an angle, his head toward the ground. They barely had the time to realize that he had not only escaped but also set a trap for them when the bomb exploded in their face. The explosion was far from being as impressive as the nests’ destruction. It was contained in a smaller area, similar to a car exploding, which wasn’t to say it was weak, especially at point blank.

The two tarantulas further away flinched from the explosion, not expecting such a result and unused to such displays. Meanwhile, Edward dived right in, pushing from his aura step and letting gravity accelerate him further. The smoke was still there when Edward reached one of the spiders, its aura armor was flickering weakly and it collapsed under a single of Edward’s stabs. He didn’t lose any time and immediately expanded his aura daggers, cutting the spider in two before jumping to the next one.

Finally, the spiders regained their senses but it was already too late for the one Edward had chosen as a target. Before it could escape, Edward chained attacks, slashing and stabbing at the still weaken aura armor which collapsed under the strain. The next second it dropped dead as Edward cleaved it in two. However, it gave the third spider enough time to form a portal and escape.

As the smoke was still covering him, Edward rushed to absorb the aura of the two tarantulas he had felled. There were still three of them after him and he doubted this trick would work a second time. Besides, his number of rune bombs was also limited. It was already the third one he was using and he had to keep some if he wanted to destroy either the portal from where the spiders had come or their nests that were still plaguing this forest.

As he plunged his dagger deep inside the tarantula’s corpse, Edward greedily absorbed its energy. Once again, he was delighted by the amount of blood essence it contained, simple wolf spiders couldn’t compare. If one wanted to progress from the predator stage onward, it was needed to hunt monsters that could use aura. Such monsters contained much more blood essence. The energy replenished his aura before pushing it further, enhancing him and pushing him toward the next stage.

Edward didn’t lose his head to the sensation of energy rushing within him and went to absorb the blood essence of the other spider. Once the smoke dissipated the remaining spiders wouldn’t give him the time to do so. And it would be too late if he waited for the fight to finish, blood essence was dissipating quickly, and even faster in an environment where webs were absorbing mana and even remnant blood essence if you let it. Right now, was the perfect time as the monsters were still too shocked and wary by the sudden situation reversal to go on the offensive.

Edward had almost finished absorbing the blood essence of the second spider when a portal manifested under his feet, making him lose his footing and fall toward the waiting tarantula below him. He had no choice but to give up on the remaining blood essence and he even had to teleport away to fully avoid the ambushing monster. Since the spider corpses were on the ground it had been one of the rare moments when Edward was close to a web and the spiders had taken advantage of it.

Though, Edward was surprised to see that the three spiders only watched him warily after he teleported rather than to chain attacks like they were doing before. They are scared. Edward realized. Even though it was thanks to a trick that he had managed to kill two of the monsters, it had been while five of them were ganging on him. Now it was only three against one. Naturally, the pressure would be alleviated on Edward and he would have more wiggle room to retaliate against the monsters chasing him.

Rather than attacking him relentlessly, the tarantulas grew cautious. However, that didn’t stop them from going back on the offensive. I doubt they will be welcome if they had to announce to that scary Arachne that they let me go, Edward thought.

With two fewer spiders assaulting him and with more delays between attacks, he was now able to plan his moves.

As one spider was charging from under him, Edward jumped upward to avoid it, before teleporting back under the spider with the momentum he had accumulated. He charged with the point of his daggers in front of him. Being in midair the tarantula had no way to avoid him. Normally this wouldn’t have been possible, another spider would have forced him to dodge. But right now, Edward took his chance, he pushed as much as he could to maintain the spider in the air and chained more attacks. However, the monster was big and heavy, it started to fall back, its weight only putting more force on the point of contact between his aura armor and Edward’s dagger.

Another spider belatedly charged Edward, forcing him to disengage. However, the one that he had attacked had its armor severely weakened. It opened a portal to escape as soon as it fell back on the ground. However, Edward didn’t let it. He threw an aura blade at it, not enough to pierce through its armor but enough to push it away from its portal. It was a move he wouldn’t have used before to save his aura, but right now it had been more than refilled with his two recent kills.

Edward dived at the weakened spider, not giving it time to recuperate. Now on the ground, it retaliated with his legs and fangs but Edward danced around it while still applying damage. The other spiders tried to help their comrade, manifesting portals under Edward’s position. He simply teleported higher, head facing down, and he bounced from an aura step, flying like a spear to his target below.

This time the spider aura armor gave in, and Edward’s dagger pierced right through it and through the spider’s body. The next instant the spider was ripped in two. The two surviving spiders took a step back and eyed each other. They seemed to reach a non-verbal agreement, and a portal appeared under them. They left through it and didn’t come back, leaving Edward with his trophy. He couldn’t help but laugh maniacally.