Chapter 149: Total Annihlation
I didn’t wait for them to reach me. Taking the initiative was crucial when facing multiple Transcendent opponents and Elite support simultaneously.
My blood enhancement surged to maximum output, every muscle fiber flooded with more power as I launched myself forward to meet their charge head-on. The Crimson Moon Pendant burned even brighter, consuming spider blood at an accelerated rate to fuel abilities beyond my normal limits.
The largest Transcendent crashed toward me like a living battering ram, its massive carapace gleaming with natural Armor that had turned aside countless weapons. Behind it, the two flanking alphas spread wide while Elite survivors rushed in to fill gaps and create overwhelming pressure.
I targeted the lead Transcendent with a devastating sword strike, my enhanced blade carving through one of its forward legs. The limb separated cleanly, spraying ichor across the stone floor as the creature stumbled from the sudden imbalance.
Slash! Severed!
Before it could recover, I pivoted and drove a blood spear through another leg joint, further destabilizing its charge. The massive spider crashed sideways into the chamber wall, creating an opening I exploited immediately.
The Elite survivors attempted to capitalize on my committed position, launching venomous projectiles and web attacks from multiple directions simultaneously. Their attack was admirable, attacking from angles that should have been impossible to defend.
’Null Strike.’
The sphere of absolute negation erupted around me precisely as the attacks converged. Venom streams, sticky webs, and physical strikes simply ceased to exist upon entering the technique’s radius. The spiders recoiled in confusion as their coordinated assault was negated entirely.
I used the momentary disruption to eliminate five Elite specimens with rapid heart burst techniques, their bodies dropping instantly as I continued moving, constantly repositioning to prevent them from landing an effective attack.
The second Transcendent alpha attempted a sweeping leg strike designed to knock me off balance while its companion prepared a venomous bite attack. The combination would have worked against other opponents, forced to dodge one attack directly into the other.
Instead, I activated my Stone Armor Echo, the defensive coating spreading across my body just as the leg strike connected. The impact that should have shattered bones barely knocked me sideways, and I used the momentum to spin and deliver a devastating counterstrike.
CRACK!
My blood-enhanced blade punched through the Transcendent’s natural armor, carving deep into its thorax and creating catastrophic internal damage.
SHRIEK!
The shriek of pain echoed through the chamber as vital fluids sprayed from the massive wound.
Three more Elite spiders died to blood spear projectiles as I continued the relentless assault, their bodies adding to the growing carpet of corpses. The survivors were beginning to show hesitation, their hive-mind recognizing that this fight wasn’t going according to their plan.
The third Transcendent alpha, seeing its companions injured, attempted to retreat and regroup. I couldn’t allow them to withdraw, letting them escape would just prolong the extermination.
I launched a massive blood tentacle formed from the harvested spider blood on the floor. The tentacle wrapped around the retreating Transcendent’s rear legs. The creature thrashed violently, but I channelled more mana through the blood manipulation to drag it back into combat range.
Once it was within range, my sword found its eyes, blinding the creature with precise strikes that left it disoriented and vulnerable.
I continued with a follow-up attack that targeted the joint where its head connected to its body, carving through the natural armor with blood-enhanced cutting power that came from the rare-rank weapon
Whoosh!
The third Transcendent’s head separated from its body, the massive corpse collapsing with ground-shaking impact.
One alpha down, two remaining, and seven Elite survivors still attempting futile attacks.
The injured Transcendent from my initial assault tried to compensate for its severed legs by using venomous spray attacks, coating the entire chamber with corrosive liquid that hissed and bubbled against stone.
The enclosed space made complete evasion impossible.
My Strong Body aspect and enhanced constitution absorbed the damage that penetrated my defenses. The venom burned, but it didn’t incapacitate or slow me meaningfully.
I closed distance with the injured Transcendent and activated Blood Control with lethal precision, targeting not its heart but the major blood vessels feeding its brain. The technique created artificial stroke effects that disrupted its coordination completely.
The creature’s legs buckled as neurological function failed, its body betraying it at the worst possible moment. My blade found its throat, then its heart, ending its existence with brutal efficiency.
Two Transcendent alphas eliminated. One remaining, along with seven increasingly desperate Elite specimens.
The final Transcendent recognized it was alone against an opponent who had just massacred nearly its entire colony. Instead of retreating, it committed to a suicidal final charge, channeling every bit of its bloodline power into devastating attacks.
Venomous spray mixed with physical strikes and web attacks in a combination assault that would have overwhelmed most Transcendent-rank opponents. The spider fought with the desperate fury of a creature that knew death was inevitable but refused to go quietly.
I met its charge with equal intensity, my enhanced abilities operating at absolute peak.
Every sword strike carved through chitin and flesh.
Every blood spear found vital targets.
Every defensive position utilized my high durability to absorb attacks that would kill lesser warriors.
Slash!
The final Transcendent’s head separated from its body mid-charge, its massive corpse sliding across blood-slicked stone to crash against the chamber wall. The impact sent tremors through the entire nest structure.
The seven remaining Elite spiders broke formation completely, their hive-mind recognizing total defeat. They scattered in different directions, attempting to flee deeper into the nest or escape to the surface.
I couldn’t allow survivors.
Witnesses meant the colony might be reestablished, and incomplete extermination meant wasted effort.
My blood spears hunted them down, each projectile guided by my blood trail trait to find targets even when they tried to hide in side passages or beneath webbing.
Heart burst techniques eliminated those that managed to get further away, their cardiovascular systems rupturing from invisible manipulation.
Final kill...
The last Elite Thornback died attempting to climb toward an upper tunnel, its heart exploding mid-escape as my Blood Control reached out and ended its existence.
Silence finally descended on the chamber. The only sounds were my own breathing and the dripping of blood from hundreds of corpses scattered throughout the nest’s passages.
Total extermination has been achieved with every spider eliminated.
The Thornback colony that had dominated these caves for a long time was now extinct, their final moments spent in futile resistance against an opponent whose capabilities exceeded anything their evolutionary experience had prepared them for.
I deactivated my Crimson Moon Pendant, conserving what remained of the harvested blood for future use.
My enhancements began settling back to normal levels, though the adrenaline and satisfaction of successful combat kept my senses sharp.
Now came the tedious but profitable work of harvesting materials.
With the spiders dead and silence finally settling over the gore-strewn nest, I retrieved my communication crystal and channelled mana to establish a secure connection. After several moments, a familiar voice answered.
"Young Master Blackwood. How may I assist you?"
I recognized the voice, one of my family’s senior operatives stationed in the capital. The man was discreet, efficient, and knew better than to ask unnecessary questions about orders he was given.
"I need an excavation team prepared immediately. Full resource harvesting operation, specialized in monster materials extraction."
"Understood. What scale are we discussing, young master?"
"Approximately one hundred Elite-rank Thornback corpses, including three Transcendent specimens. Complete nest extermination in the eastern hunting grounds, sector seven."
There was a brief pause as Marcus processed the magnitude of what I’d just reported. To his credit, his voice remained professionally neutral when he responded.
"That’s... quite the number of beasts, young master. I’ll assemble a team of experienced harvesters immediately. They’ll need proper equipment for Thornback carapace extraction and venom collection. I will arrange for secure transport wagons."
"Good. Also send guards, at least two Transcendent-rank to secure the perimeter. The nest is cleared, but I don’t want scavengers or opportunistic hunters claiming materials that belong to the Blackwood family."
"Of course. The team will arrive within an hour with full security detail. Anything else required?"
"Discretion. This operation doesn’t need to attract unnecessary attention from rival families or anyone else."
"Understood completely, young master. Consider it handled."
I terminated the connection and surveyed the massacre surrounding me.
The night’s hunting had been extraordinarily profitable, and the monetary returns would be substantial once these materials reached market.
I waited at the area for the next hour, killing any beast that came within the perimeter of the cave. Monsters in the area were accustomed to the smell of blood, and with the river of blood that I left in the cave, it was no wonder that the cave attracted many beasts, searching for an opportunity.
By the time the team arrived, there was nearly twenty beast carapaces outside the cave, although they were nothing crazy. Just a few low elite-rank beasts and some mid-elite beasts.