Chapter 998 Ten Thousand Nesting Physique, Scarlet Sand Spiders
'Oh? It's more than I expected. But, with this, I've finally managed to make up for the time I lost in the Ancient Celestial Realm.'
During the time he spent in the Secret Realm, there was no way for Izroth to gain any contribution points. As a result, he ended up being overtaken as number one on the event leaderboards.
Of course, Izroth planned on eventually regaining his original spot on the event leaderboards through the raid on the Night Lord's Crypt. After all, there was bound to be an abundance of opportunities to gain contribution points there. But, it seemed he came across an early plentiful bounty thanks to the Pzenium forces.
'Perhaps I should have offered for the 9th Division to take care of this problem alone. It's a waste to let such a good source of contribution points slip through my fingers.'
Needless to say, Izroth knew that if he had made such a suggestion at the representative meeting, the amount of opposition he faced would not have been light. There were already those against entrusting a newly made Division of the General Support Unit with eliminating the Tempest mages. If Izroth had tried to push for the 9th Division to handle the Pzenium forces alone as well, it would have been rejected outright.
Izroth gaze landed on Gakhan. Despite having just witnessed the destruction of more than 2,000 Pzenium warriors, there was no fear in his eyes. In fact, the look he had was one that Izroth was no stranger to. It was one of resolve and determination.
'Even those at the initial stage of the legendary realm would find it difficult to survive the Life Closing Raze if their attachment to life is too strong. The fact that he is still standing means that he must have come to terms with his own death even after staring it directly in the face.'
"Allow me to ask you one thing before we battle. You said your name is Izroth, correct? Are you the same Izroth who won the second team's selection?" Gakhan inquired.
"That's right," Izroth answered calmly without hesitation.
At first, Izroth figured that it was Gakhan's pride alone as a Pzenium warrior that brought forth the resolve and determination on his face. However, while that may have been one part of it, after Gakhan asked that question, Izroth started to quickly piece together a few things. He could not help but inwardly shake his head.
Izroth's interactions with those from the kingdom of Pzenium could be counted on one hand alone. While there was no doubt that his name may have spread after winning the second team's selection, it was still not something the average Pzenium warrior would know about.
Based on Gakhan's reaction to his name and the expression on his face that said he was ready to risk it all if it meant taking him down, there was one person in particular from Pzenium that came to Izroth's mind.
'The Great Duke... I see. So, that's how it is. It's no wonder the atmosphere around him changed so suddenly. What a waste.'
During the second team's selection, Izroth eliminated one of the participants by the name of Anvil.
While there was nothing particularly special about that participant, he happened to be the only son of a Great Duke from the kingdom of Pzenium.
Since Gakhan was acting in this matter, Izroth concluded that he must have a close connection to that Great Duke. At least, it was to the point that Gakhan was willing to trade his own life if it meant eliminating him.
Izroth could roughly guess Gakhan's thought process after seeing the Pzenium warriors around him perish and knowing his identity. Whether it was through intellect or instinct, Gakhan knew that Izroth would one day be a huge threat to the Great Duke and wanted to deal with him before it was too late.
Izroth found that kind of loyalty and steadfast mindset admirable. That being said, he had no intention of falling in this place.
"I was surprised to learn of Falcinean failure. That man was not someone who would lose his life at the hands of another so easily. Now, I finally understand why Falcinean met with the fate he did that day." Gakhan said.
The following moment, a spider with a length no longer than one's finger appeared near Gakhan's wounded shoulder. This spider was the color of sand and emitted a unique energy signature similar to Gakhan's.
'Hm? That's...'
Not long after the first spider emerged, two more appeared on Gakhan's body, followed by ten, twenty, fifty—the increase in their numbers seemed to show no signs of slowing down!
"I am known as the Sandweaver of the Desert, Gakhan. Izroth of the General Support Unit's 9th Division, let today be the day that one of our souls rests eternally in the Grand Battle Palace." Gakhan stated with a deathly calm about him.
In a flash, the spiders that gathered on his body rapidly scuttled towards the ground.
Chiiisss...!
When the first set of spiders made contact with the ground, the surrounding earth instantly transformed into red sand.
Izroth observed the spiders and red sand; however, the energy being used by both did not resemble mana or essence. And, if it was the work of a domain, it failed to give off any similar feelings to the domains Izroth had previously encountered.
'A bit interesting.'
It was impossible for the average person to see it; however, with his heightened senses and Energy Vision Sense, Izroth noticed something unusual about the spiders. As the "creatures" moved, red sand formed behind them. However, the spiders were not creating the red sand out of thin air. Rather, if one looked close enough, one could see the spiders weaving like motions that transformed everything they touched into red sand.
As for the red sand itself, Izroth detected a sinister aura contained within it. Additionally, the areas covered by the red sand seemed to instantly have its mana and life force instantly drained.
The spiders pouring off Gakhan's body spread out in every direction; however, the bulk of them were on a path to Izroth.
Though Izroth's next actions would be something that caught Gakhan completely off guard.
Rather than fleeing or attacking the spiders making their way over to him, Izroth sprinted forward with no reserve!
"Charging right me—how arrogant... No, rather, ignorance is a curse of youth. Was I foolish to believe that this man would one day become a threat to the Great Duke?" Gakhan thought to himself.
Sandweaver of the Desert—this was a moniker given to Gakhan because of a special trait he was born with called the Ten Thousand Nesting Physique.
The Ten Thousand Nesting Physique allowed Gakhan's body to serve as host and home to a single species of up to ten thousand insect-type or arachnid-type creatures.
Gakhan chose a rare and dangerous arachnid-type creature that was native to the Pzenium kingdom known as the Scarlet Sand Spider.
The existence of Scarlet Sand Spiders was not well known to those outside of Pzenium; however, for those who lived in the kingdom, just the sight of a single one brought about a sense of dread.
That's because long ago, these creatures were almost responsible for the fall of Pzenium. They were abnormally attracted to sources of water and plant life located in places that were dry and humid. This made a desert kingdom like Pzenium the perfect spot for the Scarlet Sand Spiders.
Those who lived in Pzenium relied on oases' to survive. But, oases were severely limited and constantly fought over. It was these essential oases that were often the target of Scarlet Sand Spiders. In fact, there was even a legend that Pzenium was originally a beautiful place full of water and plant life until the Scarlet Sand Spiders made their appearance.
Though the most terrifying aspect of the Scarlet Sand Spiders was their ability to weave a unique red sand that drained the mana and life force of whatever it came into contact with.
In the end, due to the danger of their existence, the Grand Sovereign at the time gathered their forces and went on a quest of mass extermination of the Scarlet Sand Spiders.
They were ultimately successful and managed to kill the Scarlet Sand Spider Queen, effectively cutting off the reproductive line of Scarlet Sand Spiders. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the last of the Scarlet Sand Spiders in existence were currently in Gakhan's possession!