The Warrior Scholar Chronicles. Ink and Moon on Rice Paper.

Part 3 An even bigger fate (Eight fiery-red eyes.)

Mu Er's stomach sank in trepidation as he starred at the Fiery-red eyes that glowed with an otherworldly intensity. Their malevolent brilliance piercing the dust filled gloom and made his knees weaken for a moment. Stuck unable to react, he watched the dreadspinner spring with an inhuman agility, it flew, airborne, its dagger-like talons extended like a ghastly challenge.

Reacting instinctively in the nick of time, Mu Er leapt back, the bladed spear in his grip poised for defence. A serious clash was imminent, and it surged forth with the force of cataclysmic proportions.

"Click!..."click!...Click!"

Eight spider's legs moved in a twisted dance of grace and menace, each movement an intricate web of impending peril. The first soul ring of Mu Er ignited, and a spectral aura surrounded him as he broke free from his paralysing terror. 

Summoning the power of "Gale Strike."  

"Swish" 

Mu Er unleashed a fierce wind that rippled through the air. The blast served to temporarily blind the creature's eight eyes, buying Mu Er a vital second to move out of harm's way and regather his thoughts.

Swift as the wind itself, the Dreadspinner lunged again, uncaring of its blinded eyes, its fangs poised to strike. Caught flat-footed, Mu Er parried the venomous assault with his spear. Every movement he made was a dance for his life. 

"Clang!...Clang...click".

One misstep could cause him serious injury and again, for the second time he had missed a beat and had played second fiddled to this vicious dreaded spider. The symphony of clashing metal punctuated by the spider's eerie clicking sound as its mandibles opened and closes looking to crush and devours its prey.

Yet, as Mu Er's bladed spear blocked true, a jarring surprise awaited him. The force of impact sent a shockwave that reverberated through his body, causing his arms to buckle under the unexpected recoil. He was flung backward as his own spear hit his body, his form tumbling through the air as a gasp of air escaped his mouth before he managed to right himself, landing heavily a few zhang's away.

"Goan!"

A pained noise escaped Mu Er's lips, and blood welled, staining his mouth as the throbbing agony in his chest resonated. Clutching at his torso, he fought to catch his breath amidst the searing pain.

"Round one to you, Mr. Spider," Mu Er quipped as he sucked air in, a wry smile gracing his bloodied lips. 

With a casual flick of his hand, he wiped away the crimson streak on his jaw, his tongue darting out instinctively feeling the cut on his lip. 

Although he hadn't experienced an outright defeat, the intense and swift nature of the battle left its mark upon him. The visible proof of his struggle etched onto his form, with aches and pains the least of his worried though his livery now caked in red dirt looked a sight.

Relieved that he had summoned his spiritual armour, the ethereal aura enveloped him, providing a crucial shield against danger. It was clear that without this safeguard, the situation could have turned dire. Mu Er acknowledged his oversight with a simple nod, yet his cheeks blushed as he thought. 

How embarrassing would it be if his own weapon seriously wounded himself? He glared at the spider, conceding the extent of the Dreadspinner's power, a miscalculation that nearly cost him his life. 

Stationed in the aftermath, he directed his soul qi inward, and the results were swift; the distress in his chest gradually eased. Now, all he had left were the physical bruises on his body and the mental scaring to his ego and pride, the only damage of the tough exchange.

To Mu Er's puzzlement the spider paused and then backed away, it zigzagged with ease, in a split second he seized the opportunity to launch a counterattack. Calling upon his second ring's skill, "Galeborne Echo Thrust." As his bladed spear gleamed with an ethereal light, he channelled his soul qi with the precision of a maestro. The very air around him stirred, carrying the subtle cadence of an impending storm. In a heartbeat, Mu Er lunged forward, his form a swift and graceful extension of the wind.

The empowered spear sang through the air as it left his hands, a harmonious symphony of wind with purpose as it flew to its target in a blink if an eye.

"Bang!..................Bang!"

 It struck true, finding its mark upon the Dreadspinner's segmented body. The impact was resounding, the spider recoiling as if struck by a tempest's fury.

Its mastery did not end with the initial impact. With the grace of a dance step choreographed by nature itself, Mu Er's bladed pit spear reversed its trajectory. 

The wind's embrace guided the weapon back to its rightful owner, before a second, invisible strike made up solely of wind struck again.

The Dreadspinner, staggered by the initial strike, could not evade the returning assault. While the ethereal spear found its mark, striking with relentless force. 

Plonk. 

The spider's legs crumpled momentary before barely rising again, while venomous ichor seeped from the wound. A triumph of wind-wrought skill brought the malevolent creature to its knees.

As the echo of the Galeborne Echo Thrust faded, the Dreadspinner's fury waned.

 Its monstrous form wavered for the first time. In the midst of this elemental dance, Mu Er's heart surged with determination. 

"Round two is mine," he thought triumphantly as he watched the eight eyes of the dreadspinner now focusing on controlling its wobbly legs. 

A chink in the Dreadspinner's formidable awareness, was all too obvious an opportunity.

Drawing upon his fourth ring ability. "Tempest's Wrathful Reach." screamed Mu Er.

Mu Er summoned forth the very essence of the wind that surprised many stronger foes. The air around him stirred with a furious intensity, akin to the storms that roared through the most treacherous valleys of Tianyun mountain. 

The Dreadspinner's eyes gleamed with malice, unaware that this was no ordinary display of power.

With a battle cry that echoed defiance against the spider's reign of terror, Mu Er's bladed spear shimmered with an ethereal glow. 

Zoom... Zoom..."

In an instant, he surged forward, the wind's embrace fuelling his speed. In a mere moment his body closed the distance, the Dreadspinner recoiled, recognizing too late the swiftness of the assault.

"BOOM!"

The spear's tip connected with the Dreadspinner's exoskeleton; and an explosion of wind-driven soul qi erupted forth. 

"AAAhhh"

The air screamed in protest; an embodiment of nature's wrath channelled through the conduit of Mu Er's dantain. 

The Dreadspinner's malevolent aura shattered. Its shriek a crescendo of agony as its form was hurled backward, stripped of its veneer of invincibility.

"Thud...."

An eerie stillness settled as the Dreadspinner's legs crumbled for the last time. Only interrupted by the insidious oozing of yellow ichor dripping onto the rich, red soil. Mu Er stood amidst the aftermath, his breath ragged, his body market by the ordeal, yet feeling lucky he has survived it with only a big dent to his ego.