The cries reverberated through the cavern, bouncing from wall to wall until they became an endless chorus of agony—the sound of infants burning alive.
Mother Celeste froze. For the first time since the battle began, genuine fear carved itself across her flawless features. "…No…" The word slipped from her lips like a prayer, fragile and trembling.
Her emerald eyes widened as she stared at the flames devouring her offspring. Then, without hesitation, she hurled herself toward the nests. The regal composure of a queen shattered instantly, replaced by raw panic. She dropped to her knees amidst the fire, gathering several burning eggs into her arms, clutching them desperately against her chest as if sheer will could preserve the lives within.
"No… no, no, no…" Her voice trembled, breaking with each repetition. "It's alright. Mother is here."
Her hands shook violently as she cradled the dying eggs. One collapsed inward, another burst apart, scattering ash across her arms. "You'll be alright…" Her words faltered, growing weaker, less convincing—even to herself.
For several seconds she simply stared at the remains, disbelief etched into every line of her face. Then desperation overtook reason. She pressed both hands against the burning silk, frantically trying to smother the flames.
The moment her skin touched the fire, disaster followed. The flames spread. Black chitin coating her fingers ignited instantly. She hissed in pain, recoiling, yet stubbornly reached forward again. Again and again she struck at the fire, each attempt only feeding it further. Silk wrapped around her arms caught alight. Fire climbed across her shoulders, spread along her torso, and began consuming the massive spider body beneath her human form. Cracks split across her glossy exoskeleton as the relentless heat penetrated deeper.
"Stop…" Her voice broke. The flames answered with silence. "Please…" Tears streamed down her cheeks. Then she screamed, a sound that shook the cavern itself. "STOP!"
The entire chamber trembled. Spiderlings trapped within burning nests shrieked endlessly, their cries clawing at the ears like rusted hooks. Even Xylo felt his stomach tighten. For a fleeting moment, regret flickered in his chest. Only for a moment.
Mother Celeste staggered backward, flames dancing across her body, smoke curling from her burning flesh. Her frame trembled violently as grief and fury battled for control. Slowly, she raised her head.
A shaft of moonlight spilled through the crack high above, mingling with the orange glow of the inferno. Together they illuminated her face. Tears ran freely down her cheeks. Ash stained her pale skin. The ethereal beauty that had once made her appear divine twisted into something grotesque—something broken.
Her luminous green eyes locked onto Xylo. Silence descended upon the chamber.
Then she spoke.
"You." The single word echoed like a curse. Her voice cracked, raw with grief. "You did this to my children."
The air itself vibrated. Stone fragments tumbled from the ceiling.
Her scream tore through the cavern. "YOU BURNED THEM!"
"My babies…" The words emerged as a broken whisper. "My precious children…"
For a fleeting moment she looked less like a monster and more like a grieving mother. But grief twisted, hardened, and transformed into rage—pure, unrestrained, monstrous rage.
Despite the flames consuming her body, despite the agony coursing through every nerve, Mother Celeste began advancing toward Xylo. One spider leg slammed against the stone floor. Then another. Then another. Each impact shook the cavern, sending tremors through the ground.
Her voice rose, trembling with fury. "You…" Another step. Her emerald eyes blazed through streams of blood. "I'LL KILL YOU!"
Cold sweat trickled down Xylo's neck. He muttered under his breath, "Raiden… she's upset."
Beside him, Raiden's face remained perfectly straight, his tone dry. "Really? What gave it away?" With one swift motion, he tore a feather from his wing.
Mother Celeste exploded forward. The stone beneath her shattered as she lunged. Despite her injuries, despite the flames devouring her flesh, she crossed the distance with terrifying speed.
But Raiden was faster. The feather in his hand hardened instantly, transforming into polished steel. With a sharp flick of his wrist, he launched it through the air.
The projectile gleamed beneath the moonlight—a silver flash.
It sliced across Mother Celeste's face, carving through her eyes. Crimson erupted, streams of blood spilling down her cheeks.
The spider empress recoiled violently, shrieking as both hands flew to her ruined gaze. Her emerald brilliance vanished beneath rivers of red. Blinded, she stumbled backward, massive legs striking wildly against the stone, gouging deep cracks into the cavern floor.
"You got her!" Xylo shouted, flames flaring around his fists.
Raiden did not celebrate. His eyes remained fixed elsewhere, his voice low and urgent. "We need to leave."
Xylo blinked. "What?"
"Now."
Something in Raiden's tone made Xylo turn. The moment he did, his heart nearly stopped.
The tunnel Xavier had run through was gone. It had disappeared beneath a tide of movement. Spiders. Hundreds. No—thousands. They poured from every crack in the walls, crawled from hidden tunnels beneath layers of silk, descended from the ceiling, and surged up from the floor itself. The surviving eggs trembled violently as fresh spiderlings clawed their way into existence.
The entire nest was alive.
"…Well," Xylo muttered weakly, flames igniting once more around his fists. "This is bad."
Raiden's wings unfolded, steel spreading across every feather until they resembled forged blades rather than plumage. He folded them around his body like a shield, exhaling slowly.
"That's one way to describe it," he said evenly. His gaze locked on the writhing tide. "We cut our way through the tunnel."
The two men stood side by side, fire and steel braced against the endless swarm.
One wielded fire. The other, feathers sharpened into steel.
And in the center of the inferno, Mother Celeste remained hunched—burning, bleeding, blind—yet still moving. Her massive legs dragged across the stone, each step leaving cracks in the floor. Her ruined eyes searched the void, but there was nothing left to see. The cries of her children drowned out all else, echoing endlessly in her skull. She could no longer hear footsteps, no longer sense breath, no longer track her enemies.
There was only grief. Only loss. Only death.
Her body trembled, then she threw her head back. Flames erupted around her like a crown of fire, and she screamed—a sound so raw it tore through the cavern walls.
"MY CHILDREN!"
The chamber shook. Silk ripped from the ceiling. Stone fractured. Even the spiderlings froze mid-scuttle, and the maggots retreated into the shadows.
Slowly, she lowered her head. Her burned lips parted, voice hoarse and unnatural. "You…" The word slithered through the chamber like venom. "You will suffer."
Her claws raked across her own charred flesh, tearing at the cracked chitin. The colossal legs beneath her spread outward, flames consuming her body as smoke coiled upward in thick spirals.
Raiden and Xylo felt a chill crawl down their spines. This was no longer the seductive empress who had toyed with them moments ago. Whatever sanity she once possessed had burned away with her brood. What remained was something primal, broken, and unstoppable.
Raiden moved without hesitation. He crouched low, seized Xylo by the legs, and hoisted him onto his back.
"Oi!" Xylo nearly toppled, arms flailing. "What in the—"
"Shut up and hold on," Raiden snapped, his voice sharper than usual. "I'm not happy about carrying a grown man, but we don't have time."
Xylo blinked, then frowned. "Seriously?"
"You can complain after we survive."
Behind them, Mother Celeste dragged herself forward through the fire. One burning leg slammed against the stone. Another followed. Her flesh crackled beneath the flames, smoke rising from her ruined body. Yet she advanced relentlessly, her broken voice echoing through the chamber.
"My babies…" Another step. " Seigfred!! It's happening all over again to me, they took them from me…"
Ahead of them, the tunnel was no longer a passage but a living wall. Spiders writhed over one another in a tide of legs and fangs, thousands strong. The stone itself seemed alive—maggots squirmed through cracks, larger arachnids descended from webs above, and countless tiny eyes gleamed in the firelight. Their shrieks merged with the crackling inferno and Mother Celeste's maddened cries, creating a chorus of horror.
They were trapped. Death behind them. A dead end before them.
Raiden clicked his tongue, his jaw tightening. "We don't have a choice."
He lowered his stance and broke into a sprint, wings spreading wide. The gusts they stirred whipped through the cavern, scattering ash and embers.
The swarm noticed instantly. The tunnel became a rushing tide of spiderlings, their screeches rising as they charged.
Xylo's eyes widened. "Raiden!"
"I'm aware."
"There's too many! The tunnel's closed—we can't break through!"
Raiden's voice was iron. "Then burn us a way."
Xylo gritted his teeth. Flames surged across his palms, growing hotter, brighter, until the air itself warped. His veins bulged, his arms trembling under the strain.
"NOW!" Raiden barked.
Xylo thrust both hands forward.
The cavern shook as fire erupted like a dragon's breath, a torrent unleashed. The narrow tunnel became an ocean of flame. Spiderlings disintegrated instantly, webs ignited in shrieking bursts, maggots split apart and sizzled into ash. Even the stone walls blackened beneath the infernal blast.
A burning path tore straight through the nest.
Raiden didn't hesitate. With Xylo clinging to his back, he plunged into the flames, sprinting into the darkness beyond.
The explosion did more than burn—it shook the cave to its bones. The roof groaned, then collapsed. Stone thundered downward, crushing Mother Celeste beneath the avalanche. Her voice twisted with fury and despair, then drowned beneath the weight of falling rock. The nest, her children—all buried.
Silence followed, broken only by the echo of destruction.
But then, faintly, her shriek split the air. "AHHHHHHHHH!!!"