Hydranomaly

Chapter 11: Peacemaker

As his declaration echoed through the air, the Spider King wasted no time getting to its wits, charging forward with its legs striking down. Ryujin's sharpened, lightning-fast reflexes kicked in, propelling him out of the way as he lashed his tail relentlessly at the beast, sending it recoiling slightly from the pain.

The Spider King opened its maw, firing a web that split into multiple smaller strings, each latching onto a car before swinging them all at him. Summoning his strength, Ryujin braced himself for impact, diving forward as he swung his axe. Its intensely heated and vigorously vibrating edge sliced through the vehicles with ease as he pushed onwards, wildly swinging his tail around to land hits on the anomaly's form from underneath.

The searing pain elicited another of its horrifying, nightmarish screams of the thousand tortured skulls that gave birth to its form. Its knees buckled as it struggled to support itself any longer, eventually giving in as it collapsed.

Ryujin, caught underneath from its fall, reacted swiftly with his instincts honed alongside his focus. He snapped his head upwards, his axe meeting the anomaly's descending form in an echoing clash as he struggled against its weight. Shuffling the tail under his armpit, he summoned his other arm to grab onto his axe in an effort to persevere.

However, the adrenaline pumping and coursing through his veins brought strength into his system, his eyes sharpening as a surge of power overtook him. He pushed through, sending the Spider King's whole body hurling through the air.

While this provided a window for his escape, Ryujin's aggression and lunacy drove him to commit to a much bolder move. He leaped up, raining down a flurry of hits with both his weapons as savagely as he could manage, even flipping the Spider King upside down from the combined forces.

The Spider King quickly reacted mid-descent, managing to tear apart a huge chunk of a nearby building with its webs. The strings of webs shortened, bringing the chunk with it as it crashed into Ryujin, sending him tumbling away and falling through the air.

Both adversaries crashed viciously into the ground, sending tremors through the city's now near-lifeless streets. With the dust beginning to settle, both Ryujin and the Spider King struggled to recover as they lay amidst the rubble and debris, bearing the brunt force of each other's attacks.

His two weapons lay on the ground, having fallen from his grip upon impact. Clutching his back tightly, Ryujin weakly crawled toward his axe. However, the Spider King, pushing itself up with its remaining five legs shaking, ensnared Ryujin in its webs, yanking him backward before raising a leg, poised for a fatal strike.

With his tail having regrown in the interim, Ryujin lashed it upward in a desperate attempt to parry the incoming attack. The combined force of the webs pulling him back and the Spider King's leg striking forward proved too much. His tail split open, coming apart like a peeling banana from the impact.

Blood poured out like a steaming, flowing stream, burning through the Spider King's weakened web armor. The human bones piled up in its leg dropped out as its structure failed where the blood reached.

Summoning the last of his strength, Ryujin spun around, aiming at the anomaly's gaping maw. He unleashed a blast of fire directly into its vulnerable point. The attack connected, cutting off its ear-piercing screeches. The webs holding Ryujin snapped, dropping him to the ground.

With his arms planted on the ground to support his weight, Ryujin locked his focus on his fallen weapons amidst his revolving, swimming vision. Crawling forward as quickly as his battered body allowed, he sought to retrieve his weapons while the Spider King floundered in pain.

His rapid regeneration quickened his movements. He reached out, grabbing hold of his axe just as the Spider King charged at him. Its strikes came in a chaotic, disorderly pattern as it struggled against the pain.