Legacy of the Tarot (Laoyon)

The morning sun barely crests the horizon as Arden, Leigh, Dominic, and Selva prepare for their mountain climb to the isolated peak where the final Giant Spider lurks. Arden, leading the way with his Wyvern Blade, is brimming with excitement, while Leigh sighs, already anticipating the grueling trek. Dominic, as usual, remains analytical, calculating the best paths upward, while Selva focuses on conserving her strength.

As they were about to begin their climb, Arden leaped effortlessly to the first flat surface of the mountain, a sheer cliff comparable to a 15-story building in the modern world. Landing with ease, he turned back with a smirk, his excitement evident.

Leigh sighed, watching him. "Look at him, so excited."

Dominic, unfazed, cast a levitation spell, lifting himself and the two ladies effortlessly into the air as they floated toward the upper ledges of the mountain.

Selva's eyes widened in disbelief as she ascended without effort. "As expected of the Great Magician," she murmured, staring at the effortless magic surrounding them.

Dominic, ever the showman, gave a theatrical bow mid-air. "Your praises are always welcome."

As they floated past Arden, he glanced up at them, smirking. "Tch, that's cheating." Without hesitation, he broke into a sprint, running straight up the sheer cliffside as if it were a mere incline.

Selva's jaw dropped as she took in the sight. "What the hell?!"

As Dominic, Leigh, and Selva reached the top, they saw Arden standing with his back to them, gripping the Wyvern Blade in his right hand while his other hand clenched into a tight fist. His body was tense, and the sheer force of his presence sent a wave of anger through them.

Leigh's eyes widened, her hand instinctively covering her mouth as she took in the grotesque sight before them—dozens of warriors' corpses strewn across the ground, their bodies wrapped tightly in silk. Some lay lifeless on the rocky terrain, while others hung suspended along the jagged cliffs and cavern walls, cocooned in thick layers of webbing. Some looked ancient, their armor rusted and decayed, while others appeared freshly encased, their faces frozen in expressions of terror.

"No wonder we couldn't find any trace of the warriors they killed," Dominic muttered, his voice tight with disgust as his gaze swept over the grotesque scene. "This is where they drag their victims… to feed whatever lies within that cavern."

The webbing that entombed the corpses pulsated unnaturally, as if draining their energies, directing it to a single point deeper within the mountain. At the heart of the network of webs, a single Giant Spider stood guard before a cavern entrance, its form hulking and menacing.

Dominic's golden eyes burned with fury as the pieces fell into place. "Now I get it," he growled, his smirk twisting into something far more sinister. "The energy from these warriors isn't just vanishing—it's being harvested. Something is feeding off them… something big."

Selva tensed as the webbed corpses began to convulse, grotesque jerking motions overtaking them as they slowly rose to their feet, their hollow eyes devoid of life yet driven by an unseen force. A shudder crawled up her spine as she gritted her teeth. "This is bad… they're not just moving—they're reanimating!"

Arden's fury ignited like an unrelenting storm, his grip on the Wyvern Blade tightening until his knuckles turned white. The scene before him mirrored a nightmare burned into his soul—the fallen bodies of his comrades, the shattered remnants of those who had given their lives for the Tarot World. The Magician, The Star, and the rest of the Major Arcana—lost to a war that should never have been. His body remembered, every fiber of his being trembling with barely contained rage as raw energy surged through him, crackling like a tempest ready to consume everything in its path. His eyes burned with an unholy fire, an intensity that threatened to reduce the entire mountain to ash.

"Selva, just focus on attacking—don't you dare hesitate!" he roared, his voice a thunderous command. "We're ending this damn weaver here and now! I'll tear it apart limb by limb if I have to!"

With that, Arden exploded forward, moving faster than the eye could follow, his sheer speed shaking the very ground beneath him. In an instant, he appeared before the final Giant Spider, catching it completely off guard. The massive creature barely had time to react before Arden's Wyvern Blade was already mid-swing, an unrelenting force of fury and precision.

"You stand in my way?" Arden growled, his voice a dangerous whisper before it escalated into a roar. "THEN DIE LIKE THE REST!"

The air crackled with raw energy as Arden's blade came crashing down, slicing the Giant Spider clean in half, its screeching death cry echoing through the mountain. Its split body collapsed, twitching for a final moment before going still, its lifeblood pooling into the cracks of the rocky terrain.

Selva, watching the spectacle unfold, could barely believe her eyes. "W-What the hell was that?!"

Leigh, who had seen Arden fight many times before, stiffened, feeling a strange unease settle in her chest. "I've never seen him this mad before..."

Dominic remained silent for a moment, his gaze unwavering. Then, in a calm but ominous tone, he muttered, "Never make The Fool angry."

With the path now open, they pressed forward, the entrance to the Abyssal Weaver's lair looming ahead, covered in thick, pulsing webs.

Upon entering, the group found themselves in a massive underground chamber, an eerie silence suffocating the space save for the distant skittering of unseen creatures. The cavern walls were lined with massive egg sacs, pulsating with a sickly glow as if something inside them was alive, waiting to hatch. The air was thick with venom, each breath heavy with the suffocating aura of death and decay.

Arden's eyes darkened, his grip tightening on his Wyvern Blade as his fury boiled to the surface. He had seen death, he had seen horror—but this? This was a slaughterhouse, a breeding ground for nightmares.

"Magician!" Arden barked, his voice cutting through the silence like a blade. It wasn't a question—it was an order.

Dominic, already understanding, raised Arcane Magnus, his expression cold. "Got it!"

With a sharp incantation, an inferno of violet flames erupted from his staff, spreading across the cavern walls, engulfing the grotesque sacs in an all-consuming fire. The eggs writhed, their pulsating membranes bursting one by one as the creatures within let out shrill, unearthly screeches, dying before they could ever emerge.

Leigh and Selva felt it—the searing agony of a battlefield long lost. This wasn't just extermination. This was vengeance. The very air trembled with Arden and Dominic's wrath, their emotions burning alongside the flames. 

From the deepest shadows, the Abyssal Weaver lurched forward, its colossal form radiating pure malice. Its exoskeleton, black as the abyss itself, gleamed under the dim glow of the burning nests. Its hollow, glowing eyes burned with fury, locking onto the intruders with an unrelenting hunger for vengeance.

A piercing screech erupted from its fanged maw, a sound so powerful it shattered the silence like a thunderclap. The cavern walls quaked, but it was not enough to contain the sheer fury of the beast. The Abyssal Weaver, half the size of the mountain itself, exploded in unrestrained wrath, sending shockwaves through the stone. Cracks snaked across the mountain as its anger reached a boiling point.

With an earth-shaking roar, the very peak of the mountain detonated, a force so overwhelming that it sent boulders and debris cascading down in an avalanche of destruction. The force sent Arden, Leigh, Dominic, and Selva leaping away, narrowly escaping the collapsing summit as the entire structure crumbled beneath the weight of the Weaver's unbridled rage.

The group landed at a safe distance, barely catching their breath as they turned to face the furious, towering nightmare now fully emerged from its lair. The Abyssal Weaver's glowing, hollow eyes burned with vengeful malice as it descended upon them, its monstrous form ready to annihilate everything in its path.

The voice that followed was not heard with ears but seared into their very minds, a venomous whisper laced with bloodlust:"You dare to slaughter my children… to burn them alive in my own domain? You will suffer, little mortals. I will weave your corpses into my web and let your souls writhe for eternity. Your journey ends here."

Selva distanced herself when she realized that this was not a fight she could interfere in—the Wrath of Gods vs. the Abyssal Weaver.

The battlefield trembled beneath them as Arden, Leigh, and Dominic squared off against the monstrous Abyssal Weaver, whose very presence seemed to distort reality itself. Its enormous, half-mountain-sized form loomed above them, its hollow, glowing eyes burning with unrelenting malice.

Meanwhile, at the Southern Gate of Veyne, Chairman Voss and the citizens rushed to the Grand Porch as the ground trembled beneath them. The violent earthquake, caused by the collapse of the mountain, sent ripples of fear through the crowd. Gasps and murmurs spread as eyes turned toward the Southern Plains, where a colossal figure loomed on the horizon—a Giant Spider, towering and monstrous, a nightmare given form.

Gripping his telescope with trembling hands, Chairman Voss peered through the lens, his breath hitching in his throat. There they stood—Arden, Leigh, and Dominic—mere specks before the abyssal horror. His pulse quickened as he scanned further, spotting Selva frozen in fear, barely able to move, watching the battle unfold up close.

The citizens gathered frantically, pulling out binoculars and magical viewing tools, their hearts pounding as they witnessed the impossible—a fight between mortals and a creature of legend, one that could determine the fate of their land. 

Arden's Wyvern Blade crackled with raw energy as he stared at the beast, his fury unrestrained. "You want vengeance? Then come and get it!" With a roar, he charged forward, launching himself into the air with a force that sent cracks rippling through the ground beneath him.

The Abyssal Weaver screeched in fury, its massive legs tearing into the earth as it lunged forward, venomous fangs snapping at its foes. A barrage of razor-sharp silk threads shot toward them like spears, aiming to impale them where they stood.

"Not happening!" Leigh shouted, raising her Celestial Wand, her body glowing with divine energy. With a flourish, she unleashed a barrier of celestial light, incinerating the deadly threads mid-air before they could reach them.

Dominic's golden eyes glowed ominously as he lifted Arcane Magnus, his voice calm but seething with controlled wrath. "Your web means nothing to us." With a flick of his staff, he conjured a maelstrom of arcane fire, the violet flames exploding outward, burning away the encroaching webs.

The Abyssal Weaver shrieked in agony as its webbing was torn apart, but it was far from finished. It reared back, the cavern walls quaking as it unleashed a shockwave of venom, sending the group flying backward.

Arden twisted mid-air, slamming his blade into the rock, anchoring himself before launching forward again. "I'm not done with you yet!" He drove his sword downward, aiming to sever one of its massive legs. The Abyssal Weaver, anticipating his attack, countered by swinging one of its spiked limbs in a brutal arc.

Leigh, seeing the incoming strike, acted in a flash. "Arden, move!" She teleported behind him, her Celestial Sword glowing brilliantly, and with a precise strike, she deflected the creature's leg, redirecting its force away from Arden.

Dominic took the opportunity, his arcane power surging through him. "Time to clip your legs." He summoned chains of pure mana, wrapping them around the creature's nearest limb and ripping it from the mountain with an explosion of energy.

The Abyssal Weaver howled in agony, its severed leg collapsing like a fallen pillar. The ground shattered beneath the force, but the monster, now enraged beyond comprehension, unleashed its most terrifying power.

Darkness flooded the battlefield, and the temperature dropped to a deathly chill. From the abyss, hundreds of shadowy Giant Spider phantoms emerged, their glowing red eyes burning with the hatred of fallen warriors.

Leigh clenched her fists. "Here come the reinforcements. Venya!" Leigh called upon her Sentient Spirit. Venya emerged from the pure white sword in her human form, floating beside her and striking the crawlers with Celestial Piercing Lights.

As if on cue, Dominic's eyes burned brighter as he raised Arcane Magnus skyward, his voice resonating through the cavern. "Then let's burn them all, Arcane Magnus!" Arcane Magnus emerged from Dominic's staff-like wand, unleashing a violent blue fire upon the Abyssal Weaver's reinforcements.

Arden cracked his neck, his wild grin twisting into a snarl. "Good. I was just getting started!" His words seethed with barely contained fury, each syllable trembling with unrelenting rage. He stabbed the Wyvern Blade into the ground, as if declaring the end of mere skirmishes and the beginning of true battle. The impact sent shockwaves through the stone, cracks spiderwebbing across the ground and spreading up the mountain. Then, with an aura of unstoppable wrath, he strode toward the Abyssal Weaver leaving his sword behind. The final battle had begun.

Leigh and Venya relentlessly unleashed Celestial Strikes upon the summoned Giant Spiders, while Dominic and Arcane Magnus kept the screeching fire burning. It was as if they were clearing the path for Arden to face the Abyssal Weaver alone. 

The Abyssal Weaver felt the shadow of death closing in as Arden became an unstoppable force, tearing through its legs with merciless precision, teleporting between its limbs like a phantom of destruction. The mountain trembled with each bone-crushing impact, and the Weaver's massive form crumbled, its monstrous weight breaking the very foundation of the battlefield. A screech of torment ripped through the air, its dark blood painting the earth in rivers of despair.

The creature's hollow, glowing eyes locked onto Arden, trembling—not just from pain, but from pure, unfiltered fear. Each of his punches resonated like the hammer of a god, sending shockwaves rippling through its grotesque body. The Abyssal Weaver convulsed violently, its cries turning from rage to desperate, wordless pleas.

With one final, earth-shattering blow, Arden's fist plunged through its monstrous exoskeleton, shattering flesh and bone with divine fury. A deafening explosion of dark ichor erupted like a tidal wave, drenching the battlefield in the remnants of the abyssal beast. The Weaver's colossal form convulsed violently before collapsing, sending tremors across the land as its monstrous frame crashed into the ruined ground. Silence swallowed the battlefield, the mountain itself seeming to kneel before Arden's unyielding wrath. The summoned creatures disintegrated into dust, their remains swept away by the howling winds, as if the very world was erasing the Weaver's existence from history.

Then, a thunderous roar of cheers erupted from the South Gate Grand Porch of Veyne, echoing across the land. The people, witnessing the impossible, rejoiced in triumphant relief. Selva collapsed to her knees, her strength drained after witnessing such an overwhelming battle. Leigh and Dominic stood in solemn awe, their eyes fixed on Arden, who gazed skyward, his hands still drenched in the dark blood of the Abyssal Weaver.

Arden's breathing was ragged, his hands trembling—not from exhaustion, but from something deeper. Leigh and Dominic exchanged glances, watching as he stared at the sky, lost in thought.

'It's over,' Leigh whispered, her voice uncertain.

Arden didn't answer. He felt the weight of every warrior lost, every life that had been consumed by the Weaver's hunger. No cheers could bring them back. He clenched his fists, letting the blood drip onto the cracked earth.

'We move forward,' he finally said, his voice carrying the weight of countless sacrifices. 'For them—for Those who sacrificed and fell in the Tarot World War. For the world they died protecting.' His fists clenched tighter, the blood of the Abyssal Weaver still warm on his skin, a grim reminder of battles won and lost. The battle had ended, but his war was far from over. He would reclaim the World of the Arcanas, not just for himself, but for the fallen who still lingered in his soul. Leigh and Dominic stepped forward, placing firm hands on his shoulders, their silent support speaking louder than words. Together, they would rebuild what had been lost.