Starting in One Piece: Fantasy Realm Multiverse #Chapter 195: Cowardice, Insanity, and Madness - Culling the Nest - Read Starting in One Piece: Fantasy Realm Multiverse Chapter 195: Cowardice, Insanity, and Madness - Culling the Nest Online - All Page

Starting in One Piece: Fantasy Realm Multiverse

Chapter 195: Cowardice, Insanity, and Madness - Culling the Nest

Alex's words are still fresh in the air, and Roja and Perlah's faces visibly contort.

"Yes, we need to hurry—or it will be harder for us," Rishi says, calmly walking down into the ravine, with Tereza and Alex following close behind.

"Are you insane?! You still want to go down there? Do you want to die?!" Perlah exclaims, shocked at the three allies' decision to press on.

Roja also speaks up, her voice filled with concern. "This is too dangerous. It's not worth the risk! Rishi, you must realize this too! This area is not suitable for groups. We need every single group to combine to take care of these targets! We need a full raid!"

Rishi, however, just shrugs, not bothering to respond to the protests. Alex, carefully observing Rishi's neutral expression, manages to catch a glimpse of something darker beneath the surface—a tiny hint of clear disdain, along with a faint but unmistakable spark of hatred and madness in his eyes.

They're lucky we made a contract… Alex thinks, his mind racing. Rishi looks ready to kill. That guy may appear calm and act the most rational out of all of us, but he harbors the most violence and the strongest potential for killing inside him. He would sacrifice weak, useless helpers at the earliest opportunity. The contract is the only thing keeping these two alive.

Alex responds, looking a bit annoyed as well, and says in a firm voice, "We went for the weakest possible target, and we haven't accomplished anything yet, aside from earning a few white-ranked chests and bagging a few low-ranked spider corpses, most of them ruined by fire! We need to clear the nest! If you're not up to it, you can stay here. This is still relatively easy. Honestly, I could have done this alone with a few more grenades and more spells. Anyway, we need to go in. Guard the entrance and kill stragglers, or follow us inside. We won't blame you, but we will finish this!"

Roja thinks for a moment before reluctantly responding. "We'll provide backline support and kill stragglers who try to leave the ravine."

Alex, Tereza, and Rishi nod at them and proceed into the ravine.

Rishi, with his vast MP pool, uses the AoE variant of Fire lvl 4 to quickly burn away any webs blocking their path. The flames spread rapidly, consuming the sticky silk.

As the fire rages, Alex hears the wild screams and agonizing cries of young spiders being burned alive.

Rishi's face contorts into a twisted smile, no longer hiding his true feelings. He even whispers, "Alex, your gift from when we first met is very much to my liking. These flames… I can't get enough of them."

Scary guy. Well, not a surprise at this point.

"Creep!" Tereza snaps, though her own expression isn't much different. She looks as though she's comfortably sitting around a cozy bonfire, clearly enjoying the situation.

The group continues moving forward, and Alex can't help but voice a concern. "This is suspicious. Not one real enemy… either they're planning an ambush, or…"

Alex halts mid-sentence as they round a large stone and see the Thornback Matriarch in the center of the small ravine. Surrounding it are 20 to 30 large Thornback Shooters, Warriors, and Ambushers, as well as around 30 smaller Thornback Hatchlings.

"Thez will gather up and defend their Matriarch!" Tereza finishes Alex's sentence, her eyes fixed on the scene ahead.

"Well, it's time for some explosions," Alex says with a happy, slightly crazed expression, pulling out numerous Annihilation Grenades lvl 4. Rishi and Tereza grin as well, drawing their own grenades.

Tereza activates her full transformation, morphing into a massive bat. Alex hands her three additional grenades, which she clutches in her sharp toe claws—two grenades in each claw.

"Time to kill!!" she screams in a chilling voice, unleashing a powerful shrill cry that visibly vibrates the air. She quickly flies several meters into the air, the sound disorienting the spiders below while Rishi and Alex sprint forward.

As Tereza carefully flies into the air, Rishi yells, "Alex, let's get her some space! Burn those webs, burn the entire nest down into ash!"

Alex nods and quickly moves to the left side of the nest while Rishi heads to the right.

Both unleash Fire lvl 4, aiming for as many webs as possible. The flames spread rapidly, transforming the outer edges of the nest into an inferno.

What is this?

Alex notices that the flames are failing to reach the horde of spiders in the center of the ravine. The corrupted webs, seemingly stronger and thicker, resist the fire and burn much slower than the rest.

So the corruption is the strongest in the center… interesting.

The spiders, noticing Alex's and Rishi's attempts to burn their entire nest, begin to mobilize. The horde starts to move as if guided by a skilled general. Thornback Shooters stay at the back, protected by Warriors and Hatchlings, while the Ambushers move to the flanks.

Suddenly, Alex realizes the numbers have changed, several Warriors are missing.

SHIT!! Are they underground? En!

Activating En, Alex detects several Warriors tunneling beneath the battlefield.

"We need to start now!" Rishi shouts, obviously noticing it as well.

Alex doesn't hesitate and hurls four Annihilation Grenades lvl 4 into the horde of spiders, specifically targeting the Shooters at the back.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM

Four deafening explosions tear through the horde, sending spider limbs and shrapnel flying, Alex ignoring the hundreds of combat messages. Rishi follows up with a barrage of Fire lvl 4 spells, the flames wreaking havoc on the remaining backline. By the time the smoke begins to clear, most of the spiders in the back are dead.

But suddenly, four Warriors burst out of the ground behind Rishi, leaping toward him with their sharp, deadly legs ready to tear him apart.

Shit, I can't reach him in time!

Alex sprints toward Rishi, but before he can get there, Tereza drops two grenades directly behind Rishi, landing them next to the attacking spiders. The Warriors, unable to dodge, are obliterated in the explosions.

BOOM BOOM

Rishi desperately jumps to safety but is hit by shrapnel. A wound appears on his shoulder, blood seeping through his clothes.

With half of the spiders now dead, Alex notices the Thornback Matriarch letting out a deafening scream. She begins leading the remaining spiders into battle herself, charging forward at the head of the group.

Shit, this Matriarch is quite smart. She tested us out, made us waste our grenades, and now fights herself.

"Shit, I only have one grenade left!" Alex screams. He immediately throws his last grenade into the approaching group of spiders. Rishi follows suit, hurling his final grenade as well.

Tereza, seeing the situation, lets out a piercing scream aimed at the oncoming horde and throws her two remaining grenades into the chaos.

The Thornback Matriarch reacts quickly, unleashing a dark, corrupted web to shield herself and several of her minions.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM

Four more explosions rock the ravine, sending spiders flying in every direction. Bodies burn, explode, and are cruelly torn apart by the flying shrapnel.

However, as the dust settles, Alex notices the Thornback Matriarch emerging from the chaos, almost completely unharmed. She lets out another terrifying scream and begins charging directly toward him.

Hmmph, I can dodge this!

Alex jumps back to evade the Thornback Matriarch's charge but feels something is wrong. Activating En again, he notices two Warriors tunneling beneath him. He quickly dodges their attack, only to get blindsided by Ambushers flanking him. They spit webs that pull him back to the ground, leaving him immobilized as the Matriarch charges toward him.

KEN!

Desperately activating Ken, Alex raises his [Shield of Pluto] to defend himself. The Matriarch slams her body against his shield repeatedly, her massive limbs hammering it aside. She lunges with her powerful bite, sinking her fangs into Alex's stomach.

You have taken 5 damage

You have taken 7 damage

You have taken 4 damage

You have taken 90 damage

FUCK! THIS HURTS LIKE A BITCH!

Panicking, Alex quickly conjures Sealion's Icewing Embrace lvl 4, using his AURA to boost his defense, followed by Mustrano's Malice Mauler lvl 4. The icy armor he conjures significantly weakens the spider's next devastating bite.

You have taken 21 damage

Icewing Embrace Durability -7

Still pinned to the ground, Alex watches as Rishi casts Mind Strike, Shadow Word: Pain, and Mind Flay on the Matriarch. Though the Matriarch shrugs off the effects, she pauses her assault momentarily.

Seeing a brief opening, Alex activates Toxic Breakthrough lvl 4 and plunges his empowered claw deep into the Matriarch's body.

You have dealt 56 damage to Mutated Thornback Matriarch (Corrupted)