OP Absorption
Chapter 57: No Matter The Cost

Chapter 57: No Matter The Cost

Hana stood ready, her sword held at her side, her gaze sweeping across the assembled guards lining the walls. She calculated quickly, assessing potential weaknesses, selecting targets based on visible armament or perceived stance.

She would choose the most advantageous opponent.

The Queen watched her evaluation with an air of faint amusement. "Ah," she said, her soft voice cutting through Hana’s thoughts. "I see you are already selecting your prey. But that privilege, human, was reserved for the interesting one. The one you killed."

Hana’s eyes snapped back to the throne, her posture stiffening slightly.

The Queen leaned back, her smile widening, showing just a hint of sharpened teeth. "For you, the substitute? No. I shall choose."

Her gaze drifted over her assembled court, lingering here and there, as if deciding which child deserved a new toy. The spider-kin straightened, anticipation rippling through their ranks. Some looked eager, others indifferent, but all watched their Queen.

Finally, her eyes settled on a figure standing near a shadowed pillar halfway down the hall. A figure whose vibrant red hair stood out against the muted tones of the chamber.

"Arexa," she called out. "Come."

From the shadows, a humanoid spider emerged, moving with a fluid grace that was disturbingly predatory. She was tall, clad in dark, segmented armor that left her arms bare, revealing intricate crimson markings coiling around pale skin. Her fiery red hair was pulled back severely, emphasizing a face with sharp features and six intelligent eyes that gleamed with cruel delight. A long, wicked-looking whip coiled loosely at her side, its tip occasionally twitching like a snake’s tail.

Arexa strode forward, stopping at the base of the throne dais. She bowed low, not with subservience, but with the confident acknowledgment of power. "My Queen," her voice was surprisingly melodic, but held a sharp, metallic undertone.

"It has been some time since you tasted human blood, has it not?" the Queen asked conversationally.

Arexa’s lips curled into a predatory smile. "Far too long, Your Majesty. Their struggles are always so... brief." Her eyes fixed on Hana, sizing her up with open hunger. "This one looks tougher than most. Perhaps she will last a few moments longer."

Hana returned the gaze, her face impassive, but her grip tightened almost imperceptibly on her sword hilt. She could feel the power radiating from Arexa – coiled energy, lethal speed, and a sadistic confidence that promised pain. This was no mere guard; this was one of the Queen’s elite executioners.

On the entrance dais, the remaining team members watched Arexa step forward, their faces paling further.

"Oh, just great," Gary muttered, sinking back onto his heels. "A whip? Seriously?" Whips were notoriously difficult to defend against, their range and unpredictable angles bypassing standard blocks.

Lucas swallowed hard, pushing his glasses up again. "Her mana signature... it’s significantly higher than the matriarch we fought earlier. Easily high A-rank, possibly more."

Susan just stared, her earlier fury replaced by cold dread. "She’s going to tear Hana apart."

Arexa cracked the whip beside her – a sharp, explosive sound that echoed through the chamber like a gunshot. The tip blurred, leaving phantom trails in the air.

"Shall we begin, little human?" she purred, taking a few steps toward the center of the hall, away from the throne.

Hana took a breath, centering herself. The mission, the Mana Cell, survival – it all hinged on this. She ignored the fear gnawing at her gut, burying it beneath layers of training and ruthless pragmatism. She had faced high ranked monsters before.

She had faced worse odds.

She raised her sword, shifting into a ready stance, her movements economical and precise. No wasted energy. No outward sign of doubt.

The Queen watched from her throne, leaning forward slightly, her chin resting delicately on one hand, her expression one of eager anticipation. "Begin," she commanded softly.

Arexa grinned, the whip was a living thing in her hands. It cracked, hissed, and sliced through the air with blinding speed. Hana moved defensively, her sword a blur, deflecting the main strikes, but the whip’s flexibility allowed Arexa to attack from impossible angles.

Crack! The tip caught Hana across the shoulder, tearing through fabric and drawing blood. She grunted, sidestepping another lash aimed at her legs.

Crack! Another cut, this time on her forearm as she raised her sword to block. The leather wrapped around the whip’s end bit deep.

This wasn’t a fight. It was dismemberment by a thousand cuts.

She tried to press forward, to close the distance where her sword would be effective, but Arexa danced back effortlessly, maintaining perfect range. Each step Hana took forward was met with a stinging lash that forced her back or sideways. The whip controlled the space, dictating the entire flow of the battle.

On the dais, the team watched in horrified silence.

"She can’t even get close," Joe whispered, his voice tight.

"That whip... it’s like fighting snakes," Gary muttered, unconsciously flexing his hands.

Hana’s breathing grew ragged. Blood trickled from half a dozen shallow wounds. Her movements, usually precise and economical, became laced with frustration. She lunged, a feint meant to draw Arexa in, but the whip simply coiled and snapped, catching her across the cheek.

She staggered back, wiping blood from her face. The mission. Retrieve the Mana Cell. Failure was not an option. Command relied on her. Valerius City relied on her. The thought hammered in her head, overriding the pain, the fear, the hopelessness of her situation.

The mission. The mission. The mission.

Arexa laughed, a sharp, cruel sound. "Getting tired, little human? Shall I take your eyes next? Or perhaps a leg?" She lashed out again, aiming low.

Hana dodged, but clumsily. Her frustration boiled over into cold desperation. Standard tactics weren’t working. Her strength wasn’t enough. Her speed wasn’t enough. But the objective remained.

A grim light entered her eyes. She centered herself, ignoring the stinging wounds, ignoring Arexa’s taunts. There was one last resort. Forbidden. Dangerous. Costly. But the mission demanded it.

She focused inward, reaching past her normal mana reserves, delving deeper into the very core of her being. She drew upon her life force itself.

A visible change washed over her. The air around her shimmered with a desperate, unstable energy. Her skin seemed to tighten, pale lines appearing faintly around her eyes and mouth, like years flashing across her face in an instant.

Her eyes burned with a feverish intensity, pupils dilating. Power surged through her veins – raw, volatile, immense – but it felt like burning her soul for fuel.

Arexa paused mid-strike, her smile faltering, sensing the sudden, unnatural spike in Hana’s energy. "What is this?"

Hana didn’t answer. She exploded forward, ignoring the whip as it lashed out reflexively. It cracked against her side, tearing flesh, but she barely flinched, the pain consumed by the roaring fire within her.

With speed she hadn’t possessed moments before, her hand shot out, faster than Arexa could react, and clamped down hard on the body of the whip, just behind the biting tip. Leather creaked under her crushing grip.

Arexa’s eyes widened in shock. No one had ever caught her whip before. She tried to yank it back, but Hana’s grip was like forged steel, fueled by burning life.

She pulled. Hard.

Arexa stumbled forward, dragged off balance by the unexpected force. The distance between them vanished in an instant.

Before she could regain her footing or draw another weapon, Hana let go of the whip and drove her fist forward. Not a sword strike, but a raw, desperate punch, imbued with the terrifying power of her own life force.

It connected squarely with Arexa’s chest.

The sound wasn’t a crack, but a dull, heavy thump, like hitting solid rock. Arexa’s eyes bulged, surprise and agony flashing across her face. She flew backward, tumbling end over end, before slamming hard against one of the distant stone pillars with enough force to shake dust loose from the ceiling high above.

She slid down the pillar, landing in a crumpled heap at its base, unmoving.

Silence crashed back into the throne room.