A Dark Fantasy Spy

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A gloomy wind blows beneath the overcast sky.

The north wind sweeps through the desolate landscape. The chill that blows from the cursed land seeps deep into my bones.

Standing atop that icy, blade-like edge is a woman with flowing red hair.

Before her lies a giant monster ravaging the defense line.

“…It’s incredibly huge,” she remarks.

Her observation is tersely straightforward.

The colossal spider, indifferent to the wreckage it leaves behind, is focused on smashing the defense line after annihilating several tanks and armored vehicles. Behind the giant spider, the snow-covered expanse undulates as if alive.

“Camila, the corpse spiders are closing in,” I warn.

“I see them too,” Camila replies, her gaze still fixed on the giant spider.

The spider, like a crustacean savoring its meal, extracted corpses from an armored vehicle, chewing the bones and flesh with an eerie cadence.

Perhaps deciding that maintaining the defense line was no longer feasible, the Imperial Army began to retreat, reorganizing their troops.

As we moved through the path of the moaning injured and collecting supplies, we headed toward the crumbled stronghold.

Avoiding the gazes of the mysterious suited man and two civilians crawling towards death as if they were mad, I spoke up with concern.

“This is insane… We have a plan, right?”

“Yes,” Camila replied.

“I just had a good idea.”

—

Episode 11 – No Issues on the Northern Front

—

In the misty valley, under the chilling wind, we arrived at the collapsed defense line.

The giant spider roared as it smashed the reinforced stronghold and crushed abandoned vehicles. A small military vehicle, abandoned by its crew, was squashed under its gigantic legs.

“What a crazy little monster; can you believe such a beast exists?”

“Well, Colonel, not everything is as clear-cut as it seems…”

Francesca tilted her head with a mischievous expression. Next to her, Camila scanned the surroundings and spoke up.

“Fortunately, there are no people left.”

After the heavily armed armored units were swept away by the spider, the Imperial Army abandoned the defense line and fell back.

They gathered what supplies they could carry and retreated, taking the capable soldiers with them, leaving the untransportable supplies behind.

I managed to salvage a perfectly fine radio in the abandoned stronghold, devoid of even an ant.

Despite the cold weather, the magic battery still functioned, and the radio turned on without a hitch. I called out for Senior Lyudmila over the stolen Imperial Army radio.

“Senior Lyudmila, can you hear me?”

If the division’s security learned that the radio had fallen into the hands of foreign troops, especially from an enemy nation, the Commander would lose his head immediately, but unfortunately, propriety wasn’t a luxury we had right now.

The communication networks were in chaos due to foreign military incursion, but I somehow managed to contact Senior Lyudmila. She was looking for us in front of the collapsed building where she had been moments before.

-“C-Colonel? The building has collapsed; where are you now? More importantly, how do you have the radio…?”

“I’m at the defense line. There’s no time for formalities.”

Her explanation was swift and succinct.

“We’ll hold off that spider and the incoming corpse spiders here. Please send back any remaining troops to help us here, be it a magician, artillery, or armored unit—anyone will do.”

-“W-What do you mean?”

Upon hearing Senior Lyudmila’s question, I turned to Camila.

“What do we do now?”

“Do you know Marvel?”

Camila surrounded her fingers with flames.

She then glanced directly at the giant spider glaring at us.

“Have you ever seen Civil War?”

—

A chilling wind, heavy with the essence of rifts, swirls around us. The north wind sweeps through.

Dead leaves fall from the skeletal branches, and gnarled old trees that withered away in solitude become buried beneath layers of accumulating snow, where flames bloom.

-Wham!

The blossoming flames gather strength.

Little flames, unfazed by the biting cold and the blustering wind, burn fiercely as they move forward, constantly pushing ahead.

The flames that materialized would form a wall that enveloped the defense line.

The blaze was of a much larger scale than anything created in the forward stronghold.

Though it may seem petty to even call it a wall, with its height comparable to a low fence, it was enough to dampen the advance of the corpse spiders.

-Screee!

-Roar!

The wails of the corpse spiders echoed across the snow-covered mountains. Caught in a trap, the creatures that had been stealthily approaching while searching for weaknesses crumbled before the fiery barrier.

As Francesca observed the scene, she whispered in a calm voice, “…We succeeded.”

“Not just yet,” came the reply.

The ground trembled as the monstrous roar shook the snowy peaks.

The creature let out a spine-tingling howl that rivaled the cries of a banshee, as it rolled its carapace-covered legs in frustration.

With every roll of its leg, which was larger than most trees, the earth quaked, and the old trees shuddered in fear. Faced with the flame barrier surrounding the defense line, the giant spider let out a cry like a child who had just lost their toy.

As they watched the giant spider writhing in the flames, Francesca spoke in a low voice.

“Yeah, we can’t call this a victory yet…”

“Quit the chitchat and get ready to fight, Administrator.”

“A little harsh, don’t you think?”

Francesca flashed a playful smile at the mild reproach and reached out into thin air. The core of a golem appeared, twisting into her grasp. It was a gear adorned with bizarre symbols whose meanings were lost to her. Francesca idly poked it with her finger as if losing interest, before tossing it to the ground.

And then it happened.

As the gear fell, it abruptly halted mid-air just before hitting the ground.

Drawn upward by an unseen force, it slowly began to float up. Simultaneously, the symbols etched into its side blazed bright.

The hovering gear began to vibrate. As if something were malfunctioning, it vibrated before it slowly began to turn, replicating the rhythm of finely tuned mechanical movements.

As the unanchored gear spun, surrounding objects began gathering toward it like iron filings drawn to a magnet.

Amidst the perpetual rotation and vibration, chunks of snow and rocks flew toward it, coalescing into a singular form.

A golem was completed in that moment.

“Whoa—”

Francesca placed her hand on the newly formed golem and playfully blew into it, causing a brilliant light to emit from its chest, and its hefty body began to move.

“I’ve made one golem…”

“……”

“Well, I hope this is enough, Hero?”

Camila, standing proudly in front of the blazing defense line, turned to look at Francesca. The red hair she had tied up in a bun danced in the wind.

“Uh… I think I might need a few more?”

“Just how many do you need? Be specific.”

“Well, maybe….”

Camila, looking a bit sheepish, raised her fingers.

“Five…?”

“That seems like a tall order.”

Camila turned her face away with an embarrassed expression at Francesca’s response.

However, contrary to her earlier seemingly thrown-out suggestion, Francesca wore a playful smile and conjured up three more golems in an instant.

The surreal sequence unfolded in a heartbeat.

“Four. This is the maximum number of golems I can control at once. Anything beyond this is impossible.”

“Hm… this seems sufficient. Though it feels a bit risky.”

“What exactly are you planning…?”

Camila’s gaze shifted toward the giant spider.

The creature, thrashing in the flames, had just leapt past the barrier, revealing its form before us, with wickedly glaring red eyes and a low, threatening growl.

Camila, meeting the spider’s furious stare, let her blue eyes blaze with intensity.

At the end of that fiery gaze lay the blazing, red-hot legs of the grotesque creature.

“We need to take that thing down.”

—

-The howl of an enraged spider shook the snowy landscape.

—

A colossal shadow loomed over the desolate snow-capped mountains, casting an ominous presence. The spider, breaking through the wall of flames, launched itself into the air with incredible force, preparing for an aerial assault.

-Boom!

An unbelievable shockwave rippled through the area. Snow swirled, obscuring everything in sight.

And then, from out of the mist and flurrying snow, the giant legs of the arachnid began to descend like knives.

-Swish!

Multiple legs left countless afterimages, sweeping through the area.

Those blade-like limbs carved deep scars into the earth, sweeping away everything that stood in their path.

To be struck by those sharp, armored legs would mean one’s body could easily be split in two. As proven by an abandoned armored vehicle that was shredded with ease.

Though it was an utterly terrifying assault, right now, such concerns were inconsequential.

“Camila!”

As the snowstorm buffeted me, I shouted her name.

The spot where the monster landed was a fair distance from Camila, but the area where its legs had swept past was perilously close to her.

No matter how one might consider a knight whose only physical enhancement came from magic to be impressive, there was no way she could withstand that kind of attack—least of all a non-knight like Camila.

Still, it seemed my concerns were unfounded.

“I’m fine!”

Camila’s voice rang out beyond the fog, bright and confident.

Even though I heard her reply, I couldn’t afford to relax, unable to tear my gaze away from the direction the sound came from.

At that moment, familiar flames ignited beyond the mist.

-Whoosh!

Having evaded the attack, Camila conjured flames in an instant. With a swift rollout, she quickly stepped back, her flames racing through the fog to strike the giant spider.

-Screeee!

A wail of agony echoed from beyond the mist.

The spider, struck by the flames, flipped over, rolling in the snow. It seemed the heat was unimaginable torture for the creature.

At that moment, one thing became clear.

“Fire does work! Camila!”

“Isn’t it true that aliens cower before flamethrowers?! Predators too!”

“Ah, shut it! Quit with the movie talk and just keep feeding it flames! Quickly!”

Camila didn’t respond.

New flames emerged in the air. The spider, attempting to flee the raging heat instinctively, tried to escape, but Camila was faster.

The flame soared through the mist, piercing through the monster’s form. The deafening roar rattled the snowy mountains, and the sound of its armored legs pounding the ground echoed loudly.

I looked upon the writhing shadow of the giant spider and shouted, “Did we take it down?!”

No, we hadn’t.

-Grrrrrr!

After enduring Camila’s assault, the spider sprang from the ground, fierce and relentless. Whether it had healed from the considerable damage or hadn’t suffered any wounds from the start, it stood back on its legs.

While we hadn’t finished off the beast, we confirmed that fire was effective against it, which was a relief.

Focus returning to the glimmering blood-red eyes peering through the fog, I anchored my rifle.

-Bang! Bang! Bang!

The spider’s gaze turned from Camila to me, its fiery eyes reflecting rage. Regardless of how strong the creature was, its eyes weren’t indestructible. That same principle applied to this giant spider as well.

Counting my shots, I found some success as bullets lodged into the monster’s eyes. However, the distance and the thickening mist made it hard to ensure I hit every target.

With each bullet that struck, the monstrous creature blinked rapidly, its crimson eyes now locked onto me, filled with rage.

In its desperate thirst for vengeance, the spider scampered, completely fixated on me while creeping low in the snow, as if its primal instincts were ignited.

This vicious roar emanated from the creature, as red-hot carapace shined wickedly within the mist.

The beast hunched, poised to leap at any moment. Its vicious eyes met mine across the chill air.

And just as it prepared to launch itself—

-Clang!

A shattering sound echoed from above.

The spider, sensing something with its animal instinct, raised its head swiftly. Reflected in the spider’s retinas was a shower of colorful liquid painting the sky.

Splash! The liquid drenched the spider’s head, and upon suddenly receiving the unexpected substance, it blinked in confusion.

-Screeee!

An unearthly shriek pierced the air, seeming to reverberate with immense ferocity.

The spider, prepping to take off, buried its head into the ground, trying to scuff off the liquid coating its face against the snow.

Shards of shattered carapace fell into the white terrain speckled with ash. As that protective armor dislodged, viscous chunks of gelatinous flesh began to ooze and drip onto the icy ground.

As I aimed towards the writhing creature, Francesca appeared beside me, humming cheerfully.

“Hmm… I thought the corpse spiders might have a hard shell, so I didn’t expect it to be so vulnerable. Maybe your flames weakened its armor, Hero?”

I discharged my weapon silently at the struggling spider.

-Bang!

The gunfire echoed across the snowy terrain.

Newly ignited flames surged toward the monster, as Francesca snatched up a vial and hurled it forward carelessly.

She expertly grasped the falling vial, swinging it without hesitation.

Caught off guard by the agony of dripping flesh, the spider couldn’t react to the fires of Camila or Francesca’s concoction. As the strange mixture hit its hot shell, the glimmering carapace began to peel away, with the searing flames diving deep into the exposed wounds and causing unprecedented torment.

I set my rifle down and picked up the radio.

“How’s it going over there?”

On the other end, Senior Lyudmila responded.

-“Almost there! Almost finished! Just one minute—no wait, two minutes!”

The Imperial Army was readying their assault.

The giant spider, previously rampaging through the snowy expanse alone, wriggled in the snow, while the horde of corpse spiders that had been waiting for their moment remained ensnared in front of the flames. The fire may have mildly subsided, but it seemed we could still hold them off for about two minutes.

Sweat mixed with grime trickled down my face, soaking my shirt, now riddled with holes.

I glanced back to see the giant spider rising onto its feet once more. Its blood-red eyes glared at us.

“Camila! Francesca!”

“Yes!”

“Get back now; the time is almost up!”

In sync with my signal, Camila and Francesca began to retreat.

Though the giant spider endeavored to keep its eyes glued to us, it was suddenly hindered by a set of golems that had appeared from nowhere.

-Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!

Three towering golems crashed through the mist, charging towards the giant spider.

The creature, which continued to stand firm despite being struck directly by the cannon of a tank, was now faced with the unexpected impact of the multi-meter golems crashing into its legs. Even a creature the size of a villa was forced to stumble and cower under the sheer force.

Having lost its target, the spider screeched in frustration, flailing its legs and trying to lash out at the golems.

Despite the immense power in its blade-like legs, the golems remained firmly planted, unwavering against the creature’s attempt to escape.

Though these beasts lacked intelligence, something was certainly amiss in this scenario. The furious creature, previously relentless, seemed to pause solemnly, its focus diverting from the golems as it scanned its surroundings.

But it was already too late.

I flipped my wrist, confirming that the second hand of my watch was about to cross the two-minute mark.

“Camila, Francesca.”

I halted and swiftly grabbed hold of the two women by my side, hurling us into a trench.

“Get down!”

-And then—

-KABOOM!

A colossal explosion shook the very heavens.

The bombardment from the Imperial Army had commenced.