Chapter 222: Damn invaders!

--Saturday, May 30, 2172

[I feel like I’ve seen something like this somewhere before...?] While staring at the strange statue—which looked like a minimalist representation of a demon holding a child upside down—Kai asked in a confused tone. Sage quickly replied in a serious voice.

[Although further analysis is still needed, its shape is very similar to some statues found in the center of the Granadan Confederation. Some archaeologists estimate they could be between 8,000 and 12,000 years old.]

[South America?] Kai asked, clearly surprised. Sage nodded and responded.

[That’s right, Master.]

[What the hell is a relic from South America doing down here...?] Kai asked, dumbfounded, as he looked again at the half-destroyed statue. But at that moment, an image came to Kai's mind, prompting him to speak in a more serious tone.

[But this isn’t the first time... There’s also that necklace we found in the tribal leader’s cabin.]

[Indeed, Master.] Sage replied calmly. [Although I looked into it a bit, I didn’t find much. The necklace is over 100 years old, and many records from before the Quirk Awakening were lost in the chaos.]

[Let’s keep moving. It’s possible we’ll find an answer inside.] Kai said as he shook his head, trying to dispel the wave of speculation forming in his mind.

After glancing at the tunnels for a moment, Kai noticed that although spiders were coming out of all of them, the one on the far right had the largest number emerging. While staying tuned into the conversation that Shino and All Might were mainly having through the mental link about the ongoing attack, Kai entered the tunnel where most of the spiders were coming from.

Due to the large number of spiders crawling through the tunnel, Kai had to move erratically to dodge them, but couldn't make much progress. Just then, he heard Chatora speaking urgently through the mental link.

[They caught Ryukyu in webs! I’m going to detonate the bomb!]

[We’re nearby, we’ll try to recover the orb!] At that moment, Ryuko responded with similar urgency.

Meanwhile, Kai saw how the spiders suddenly began emitting strange screeches, then started moving erratically—some even turning back. Taking advantage of those that were retreating, Kai quickly moved forward through the tunnel. Before long, Shino's frustrated voice filled his mind.

[We managed to see the orb, but we were too late. A small spider with an electric pattern on its back destroyed it before we could do anything.]

[We managed to rescue Ryukyu.] Chatora quickly reported. [When the bomb detonated, the webs lost a lot of their strength, and we were able to free her without much trouble. And thanks to her dragon form, her injuries are still manageable.]

[Then the white spiders must somehow be connected to the webs as well. Did you hear that, Saito-shonen?] All Might said in a serious tone. Kai, rushing down the tunnel, quickly replied.

[Loud and clear. But don’t let your guard down. Now that the spiders know we’ve discovered the white ones, it’s likely they’ll change tactics.]

[Saito-shonen is right—let’s move quickly!] All Might ordered in a firm voice. At that moment, Ryuko chimed in with a similar tone.

[I’m going to increase the number of tunnels. Let’s try to confuse them using my tunnel network.]

While the heroes discussed how to deal with the spiders’ next attack, Kai began moving through the tunnel, performing acrobatic leaps from side to side. He wanted to avoid alerting the spiders while still making as much progress as possible. After all, if things worked the same way as he had seen before, it would only be a matter of minutes before another white spider appeared to command the others.

Just as he expected, a few minutes later, the spiders regained order and started moving forward again. Fortunately, Kai had already reached an intersection of three tunnels, one of which was essentially a dark hole from which a large number of spiders were climbing up—something Kai saw while upside down, his feet firmly stuck to the ceiling.

[No matter how I look at it, this tunnel complex is way too elaborate to be the work of spiders. It feels more like an ant hive.]

[That does appear to be the case, Master.] Sage replied thoughtfully, her wings glowing in various colors.

Finding no opportunity to move, Kai remained on the ceiling, closely watching the heavy flow of spiders coming out of the massive hole. Not long after, Kai could feel the 'voice' of the white spider, confirming that it would indeed emerge from the hole. In a serious tone, Kai gave an order through the mental link with Sage.

[Sage. Let’s try attaching another bomb—but this time, let’s be more careful.]

[Understood, Mas—]

Sage quickly responded, but the message was cut off halfway. After all, both she and her master could sense a new ‘voice’ near the white spider—one with power not much lower than that of the current All Might.

[Looks like they gave it an escort…] Kai remarked with a small smile on his lips. Sage replied with a grin that made her look like a cunning little imp.

[Indeed, Master…]

The smiles shared by the pair—assistant and master—were due to the fact that assigning a guard to the white spider was very telling. On one hand, it was highly predictable—a clear sign they were running out of ideas. But more importantly, the fact that they only sent a single escort meant they were running out of strength. It was possible their supply of super-spiders was dwindling.

[Let’s fall back a bit.] Kai said in a cheerful tone, then jumped onto the wall of the tunnel he had come through.

After moving a few meters along with the spiders, Kai began dodging them to stay in place. Meanwhile, Sage started making calculations at high speed, analyzing the entire area, looking for the right moment and location to plant the bombs. Not long after, a new white spider emerged from the tunnel—but unlike the two before, this one was much smaller, roughly five meters in size.

Upon seeing the spider, Kai and Sage couldn’t help but grin even wider—and when they saw the spider accompanying it, they nearly burst into laughter. The escorting spider was about two meters tall and looked as if it were made of rock, clearly meant to modify the tunnel to protect the white spider and catch the others by surprise.

[Even though it looks like their forces are starting to run low, it’s best to stay cautious.] Kai said in a more serious tone, despite his cheerful mood, not wanting to make a mistake out of overconfidence. [Let’s plant several bombs a bit farther back—it wouldn’t be good to get discovered now.]

[Understood, Master. I’ll handle all the calculations.] Sage replied seriously. After nodding, Kai moved several meters back and began planting the bombs, following Sage’s instructions.

[It’s done.] Kai said, slightly relieved to see that his Shadow Cloak was still active as he began moving through the tunnel again. Sage spoke while simultaneously checking several holographic screens.

[I’ll transfer control of the bombs to Sentinel as soon as they attach to the spiders.]

[Perfect.] Kai said, satisfied, as he moved as far away as possible from the white spider and the rock spider that had just entered the tunnel.

Holding his breath to avoid drawing any attention, Kai watched as the pair of spiders passed just a few meters from him—the white spider moving along the floor and the rock spider crawling across the ceiling. Fortunately, neither of them noticed him and continued down the tunnel.

At that moment, Kai leapt back up to the ceiling above the hole and remained there, focusing his Observation Haki, trying to sense whether the bombs had successfully attached to the spiders.

Although not all the bombs had stuck, two of them managed to attach to the white spider’s legs without raising any suspicion. Meanwhile, by a stroke of luck, the protruding rock where one of the ceiling bombs had been camouflaged broke loose due to the small tremors caused by the rock spider's movements—causing the bomb to fall and attach almost directly to the center of the rock spider’s body.

[A new white spider is on the way, along with one of the powerful rock spiders.] Kai quickly sent the message through the mental link created by Shino. [I managed to plant a few bombs on them and already handed control over to Sentinel. That said, the bombs might not be enough to take out the rock spider, so let Salem finish the job.]

[Fantastic.] All Might replied enthusiastically, then added in a more serious tone:

[Everyone, let’s try to stall for as long as we can to buy Saito time to infiltrate deeper.]

[[[Understood!!]]] the rest of the heroes responded firmly.

…

After waiting a few minutes above the hole, Kai finally saw the spiders' movement turn chaotic again, giving him the chance to slip through. Releasing the aura on his feet, Kai began to fall straight into the dark hole. As he descended, a spider suddenly jumped from the left wall to the right, crossing directly into his path.

Without panicking, Kai extended his left hand, from which a thin thread of aura in [In] state formed, sticking firmly to the wall. By pulling the thread, Kai was able to change direction, narrowly dodging the spider by mere centimeters. From that point on, relying on his Observation Haki, Kai analyzed the spiders’ movements to create different threads, using them to maneuver and avoid detection.

Not long after, Kai created several threads and attached them to the walls, using them to slow his descent—at which point a faint light began to shine from the bottom. After a few more seconds, Kai was finally able to see the end of the tunnel with his own eyes, so he quickly pulled on one of the threads, propelling himself toward one of the walls.

Maintaining precise control over his aura, Kai descended along the wall until he was finally left hanging by his hands, which were stuck to the edge of the exit. This allowed him to look inside the place—and what he saw left him stunned. It wasn’t the egg-filled cavern he had expected. Instead, it looked like a lost ancient city, with step pyramids, stone houses, and other structures where spiders moved about calmly.

The place, though dark, was clearly visible thanks to massive crystals embedded in the ceiling, emitting a greenish light. They looked like larger and slightly refined versions of the crystals that lit up the tunnels. But what stood out the most was a colossal step pyramid in the very center of the city. At its peak was a metallic sphere with strange patterns that resembled a fusion of electronic circuitry and geometric symbols.

[I really wasn’t expecting this...] Completely stunned, Kai commented through his mental link with Sage. The beautiful fairy responded in a calm but visibly shaken tone.

[At the very least, now we know where the statue came from… The design of the pyramids and the structures is very similar to the ancient cities found in different parts of the Americas…]

[Sage… Is it just my imagination, or is that metal sphere engraved with an Aura Script pattern...?] Kai asked, slightly shaken, as he looked at the sphere atop the central pyramid. Sage adjusted her master’s helmet to display a magnified image of the sphere while responding.

[It’s not your imagination, Master.]

[Let’s try to get a little closer…] Kai said in a serious tone, then flexed his body as if doing a sit-up, soon flipping back onto the ceiling.

But at that exact moment, Kai’s eyes widened in disbelief—he had just felt a sense of death like never before, so intense that it left him momentarily paralyzed. Forcing his mind into overdrive, Kai conjured a Jian sword less than a meter away from himself—and immediately teleported to its position.

The instant Kai appeared next to his sword, the dark veil cloaking him vanished abruptly, revealing him once again to the world. At the same time, all the spiders let out a deafening screech that nearly made Kai dizzy.

Cold sweat ran down Kai's back as he looked at the spot where he had been just moments ago. He could sense that the area had been completely obliterated by what looked like dark spears made of webbing, laced with strange glowing points.

With a grim expression, Kai grabbed the Jian sword he had used, then conjured a new one in his right hand—along with six more that floated behind him. In that moment, the entire cavern shook from a screech so powerful it sent a shockwave through the air. But to Kai’s complete shock, he somehow understood what that screech meant.

[Damn invaders!!]

[Sage, AP Field!!]

Alarmed not just by the strange event but even more so by the fact that he couldn't sense the 'voice' of the spider that had let out the screech, Kai quickly gave an order to his trusted assistant. Sage, who had activated the ability the moment Shadow Cloak was disabled, didn’t respond—instead, she quickly shared a vision of the future with her master. In that glimpse, Kai was pierced by seven new web spears that materialized out of nowhere.

Using one of the swords floating behind him as an anchor, Kai instantly teleported with a single thought. At that very moment, seven spears appeared out of thin air in his previous location, tearing through everything in their path. Kai quickly jumped away from the area while simultaneously commanding the six floating swords behind him to spread out, each one moving three meters away—giving him a solid buffer for dodging.

[Saito! The spiders are acting strange! They’re returning to the tunnels!] At that moment, All Might’s voice rang out in his mind.

[Run! They’ve found me!] Kai replied solemnly as he kicked the air to dodge three beams of energy fired from the spiders below.

[We’re coming to support you!]

Immediately after, Shino spoke, her voice filled with urgency. Kai quickly responded in an incredibly firm and authoritative tone, all while kicking the air repeatedly to launch himself toward the pyramid with the metal sphere—since the screech seemed to have originated from there.

[Don’t come! These things are too dangerous! Focus on escaping—stay as far away as possible!!]

[Sage, if any of the Pussycats get close, send them away!] At the same time, Kai ordered his trusted assistant. Sage responded immediately and seriously, her dress of light shifting into a full-body feminine armor made of glowing plates.

[Understood!]

Just as Kai was about to reach the pyramid, a new vision of the future flashed in his mind. In this vision, he was caught in a web cocoon that looked several times stronger—strong enough to shred through his armor on contact. With a single thought, Kai teleported to the sword farthest to the left, but in that very instant, another vision appeared—this time of him being caught by webs again.

“Sword Field!!” Knowing the spider had figured out the mechanism behind his teleportation, Kai quickly conjured a hundred swords. At the same time, Sage reported through the mental link.

[Initiating a coordinated attack!]

[It’s all yours.] Kai replied, teleporting to a random sword near the pyramid.

At that moment, a new screech made the entire cavern tremble and violently stirred the air, almost creating a hurricane. Just like before, Kai somehow understood the meaning behind the frustrated scream.

[Damn slippery fly!! Wake up, my babies!!]

With that screech, Kai suddenly sensed two colossal 'voices'—no weaker than the male Drider’s—appearing out of nowhere from the rear of the cavern. With a grim expression, Kai unleashed his Conqueror’s Haki, surrounding himself in thick, dark electric arcs that began coursing through the cave indiscriminately, knocking out a large number of the spiders on the ground.

At the same time, his swords were imbued with advanced Armament and Conqueror’s Haki, along with as much aura as he could channel. Immediately after, Kai began spinning like a top at an outrageous speed, creating a tornado in the area. Less than a second later, he stopped abruptly and unleashed a massive spinning flying slash toward one of the voices, shouting with all his might.

“Thunder Guillotine!!!”

In perfect sync, the hundred Jian swords controlled by Sage launched a coordinated series of flying slashes toward the second voice. At that moment, Kai saw that the voices were coming from what appeared to be smaller pyramids. The spinning slash and Sage’s coordinated attack easily destroyed the pyramids, revealing a scene that left Kai somewhat shaken.

Inside the pyramid were what appeared to be several large eggs housed within rusted, and in some cases broken, medical capsules. Curiously, atop the capsules were two electric spiders, pouring massive amounts of electricity into them—even at the cost of their own lives. Their ‘voices’ were fading rapidly.

Upon witnessing the scene, Kai suddenly felt several mysteries unravel at once. These spiders weren’t natural—there was a scientific hand behind them. At the same time, given the decrepit condition of the capsules, it was logical to assume this had been an abandoned project. But more importantly, he finally understood where the superpowered spiders came from—and why the electric spider had weakened so much the first time he came.

***

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