Published at 22nd of September 2026 7:21 am

Chapter 2038: Luca’s Battle Plan

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Luca bravely charged again.

His shield slammed into one of its legs, forcing it sideways, while his greatsword followed immediately after.

Clang!

The blade struck its black body. The creature hissed in fury, seemingly surprised by Luca’s strength.

Luca grinned through his fear.

But the eight eyes suddenly turned red.

A chill crawled down Luca’s spine as he saw the creature open its mouth.

"Luca!" Leah screamed. If Luca died here, then the rest would shortly follow.

[Ice Blast]

A massive burst of ice shot from the creature’s mouth and exploded toward him.

It was too late to dodge, so Luca could only raise his shield and brace himself. The impact sent him skidding across the cavern floor.

"Luca!" Michael shouted as he rushed toward him.

"I’m fine." Luca forced himself back onto his feet.

Michael almost wanted to cry. "I told you we should have retreated! Damn it!"

Luca ignored the youth’s words. Behind them, Leah and Meji continued dodging and deflecting the relentless ice attacks.

They could not afford to stop. They could not afford another death. But they were barely holding on.

The monster’s attacks came without warning. Thin [Ice Spears] formed around its body and shot through the cavern at terrifying speed, forcing the two of them to constantly move.

One spear shattered against the ground beside Leah, sending shards of ice across her legs. Another passed inches from Meji’s face.

Luca watched them for a few short moments, a battle plan quickly forming in his mind.

Then, while the creature’s attention was focused on the two Paladins, he stepped toward Michael and solemnly whispered, "Take this."

He discreetly pressed an artifact into Michael’s hand.

Michael looked down at it, puzzled. Luca leaned closer and whispered his instructions. A moment later, Michael’s eyes widened.

He couldn’t help but blurt out, "Are you crazy!"

Luca turned away before the creature could notice, leaving behind his parting words.

"Stay alive."

With that said, Luca charged forward.

Leah barely had time to react before Luca rushed past her. His shield slammed into one of the creature’s legs.

With a deafening sound, the spider recoiled, its enormous body shifting backward.

Luca followed immediately with his greatsword. The blade cut across one of its legs, leaving behind a deep wound.

The spider monster shrieked in pain. Then it responded with a barrage of ice projectiles.

"Move!" Luca commanded as his figure blurred.

Leah and Meji scattered as well. She threw herself behind a stone pillar as several ice spears struck the ground around her. Meanwhile, the elf ducked beneath another and rolled across the floor.

Luca remained near the spider. He raised his shield just in the nick of time as—

Clang!

A giant ice sickle shattered against it. The next moment, another ice projectile came from Luca’s blind spot, forcing him to twist his body.

The spear grazed his shoulder, tearing through his armor and drawing blood. He ignored it and viciously swung his greatsword upward.

With a wild slash, another cut opened along the creature’s leg.

The spider monster recoiled in pain. But Luca continued to press forward.

In the background, Leah and Meji understood his intention. They didn’t need to kill the monster. They only needed to survive long enough for Luca to find its weakness.

Leah moved constantly, never remaining in one place for more than a second. She used pillars and broken stone as cover, darting out only long enough to strike or draw the creature’s attention. Meji did the same.

Whenever the monster focused on one of them, the other attacked. Whenever it turned toward Luca, they moved in.

It became a brutal rhythm of attacking, defending, dodging, and countering.

Luca kept advancing. Every time the creature exposed one of its legs, his greatsword found it with horrifying accuracy. A shallow cut followed by another, and another. Just like that, the wounds slowly accumulated.

The monster became increasingly enraged. Its attacks grew faster. All kinds of ice magic filled the cavern. The stone floor cracked beneath the constant bombardment.

Just like that, almost thirty minutes passed!

By then, none of them looked the same. Leah was covered in bruises and cuts. Blood ran down one side of her face, and her breathing had become ragged. She was barely standing, yet she still kept her weapon raised.

Meji was in an even worse state. One of his hands had been struck by the monster’s attack. The flesh had frozen solid, and then that frozen flesh had shattered. He held the ruined arm close to his body, trembling from the pain and the cold.

Yet his eyes remained fixed on the monster. There was pure hatred radiating from them, and perhaps that was what kept him going.

Luca was the most injured of them all. His armor was cracked and covered in blood. His shield had been damaged repeatedly, and several wounds covered his body.

But he refused to fall. If anything, he was confident in going for several more hours.

The spider monster raised its body, its eight eyes locking onto him. Luca tightened his grip around the greatsword. He knew this was his chance.

His figure blurred and he burst into motion, his entire body surging with speed.

The monster fired several ice projectiles at once. But Luca raised his shield and charged straight through them.

One spear struck his shield, shattering it. It could no longer sustain repeated deadly damage. Another spear grazed his side. A third tore through his armor, drawing blood.

But he did not stop.

Luca closed the distance in the blink of an eye. His greatsword rose above his head, then came crashing down with the weight of his unrelenting power.

Slash!

One of the creature’s front legs was severed. Before it could react, Luca twisted his body and swung again.

Slash!

A second front leg fell to the ground.

The monster screamed in agony.

Suddenly, Luca overextended himself. Purposefully, perhaps, for he would never make such a mistake.

The monster astutely noticed the opening. One of its remaining legs slammed into Luca. His body violently crashed against the broken ground.

Before he could recover, the creature moved over him, its massive body blocking the crimson moonlight. One leg pinned Luca firmly against the ground as he struggled to move.

The monster lowered itself, its mouth opening and revealing an icy blue glow in its depths.

Luca silently stared up at it.

Then his lips curled into a grin, and he displayed his blood-stained teeth.

Just as the spider monster was about to finish him off...

STAB!

A sword suddenly pierced through its back. The blade emerged from its chest. The monster froze as its eyes widened.

Behind its humanoid half-body, Michael’s figure rippled into existence.

The artifact Luca had given him earlier had completely concealed his presence throughout the battle!

Michael gritted his teeth and pushed the sword deeper.

He roared in terror:

"Die, witch!!"

Then he pulled the sword upward with all his strength.

The blade tore through the monster’s chest, continuing upward through its neck, and finally through its head.

The creature went completely still.

For several seconds, nobody moved. Leah and Meji watched the scene unfold with wide eyes and slack jaws. It was too ridiculous to believe.

Only Luca grinned as if he had always expected this outcome.

Then the spider monster’s enormous body began to collapse.

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