Fractal Plane: Awakener's Pact

Chapter 12 - Entrust Me Your Burdens

Roaring, the Nullity leapt up. It looked to either crush its enemy or drive those big fangs deep into him.

Left with no choice, Kazuki stood up and placed the shield in front.

It won't be enough to completely protect him, but at least it could block those fangs with enough precision.

The whole weight of the black widow came crashing onto him, and as far as his plan goes, he managed just enough to black the two huge fangs coming down. Still, the force of the fall was something else, and Kazuki felt the ground beneath his feet crack as he sunk a couple of feet down in the impact.

"Ahhhhh!" he yelled in pain as he felt the sheer force of the spider crushing him down. He felt intense pressure on his joints and ankles as he tried his best to keep himself together.

The magical extensions from the edge of his shield slowly showed signs of fizzling.

Channeling his emotions for strength, Kazuki tilted his shield arm and forcefully twisted the blade onto the spider's midsection. With his full strength, he pierced through the underbelly of the monster.

The resulting screeches filled him with hope. The spider pulled back immediately and started motions that made it seem like it was undergoing a seizure.

In a rage, it reared back, and in doing so, exposed its abdomen that pointed forward.

Having seen this move already, Kazuki was one step ahead and rolled away from the web attack. The concentrated stream of silk missed him handily, and he was back off to his run.

He had little time to take advantage of this miss, and his feet carried him as fast as they can for that decisive moment.

The exposed underbelly that he had repeatedly wounded stuck out like a target, and putting all force behind his strike, Kazuki pulled back his left arm and buried the blade deep into the previous wound.

The spider screeched, but in response, it also took a stab at its opponent.

Kazuki recoiled in pain as he found both sides of his stabbed by the sharp front legs of the spider. His muscles screamed in pain as the two legs were driven into them. Nevertheless, he fought through the pain and held on, pushing the blade deeper into the wound.

The Awakener yelled as he fought the pain. Looks like it's become a battle of endurance at this point, and with each second, Kazuki was not sure how much longer he can hold on.

Not fair...

"Arata, get down!"

The voice of his classmate broke him out of his thoughts. The surprised Kazuki then turned to the direction of the voice, only to see a flash of black before hearing the clean sound of a blade whirling in the air.

It happened in an instant, but when Kazuki next looked at his opponent, he noticed that its head had already been lopped off. The head of the spider came tumbling down, and it rolled on the floor several times before dissipating.

The force holding him in place also disappeared, and the rest of the gigantic spider Nullity's body fell down with a crash, laying lifelessly in front of him.

Beside the body was Sayaka Uehara with her back turned.

The sword on her hand dissipated into particles after it had done its job.

"Thanks. You saved me there, Uehara." Overcome with relief, Kazuki spoke.

"That was all that I had left. It's you I have to thank for setting it all up."

With her newly-confident profile, she put her fist out. Her face showed all signs of the weary battle, but Kazuki saw a look of relief on her eyes and expression.