Faced with the binding grass below, it twisted its body midair, unfolding all eight blade-like legs.

Slash!

Ray's Silverfalls Vine was shredded instantly. Against the spider, it stood no chance of binding.

As Volt descended, the spider spun and fired a smaller but denser yellow-green web directly at him.

It was more than enough.

The clash erupted at full intensity, skipping all preamble. Victory or defeat would be decided in seconds.

Suddenly, the Silverfalls Vine tied around Volt's waist snapped taut.

Ray yanked him back toward the ground.

At the same time, a single strand of Silverfalls Vine had wrapped around the Man-Faced Demon Spider's body.

It turned gold.

The spider's corrosion failed.

The toxicity lost effect.

The spider's movements slowed abruptly.

The binding had worked.

A golden whirlwind exploded into existence.

It slammed into the spider's rear.

Clang!

An ear-splitting screech echoed as sparks burst outward. The Man-Faced Demon Spider howled in pain, violently shaking the attacker off its back. Yellow-green blood spilled from the cracked carapace.

Raziel Phoenix.

Light Dragon Storm.

Volt's role had been bait. He had drawn out the spider's web and attention, allowing Ray to pull him back into the darkness.

Raziel Phoenix seized the opening.

Though his Light Dragon Storm lacked the raw power to kill, its piercing force was enough to wound.

Bang!

The golden Silverfalls Vine finally snapped under the spider's violent struggle, its golden sheen fading as it broke.

Freed too suddenly, the Man-Faced Demon Spider lost balance. Its eight legs slipped outward, its massive body sinking.

At that instant, two earthen lumps burst from the ground, smashing into two of its legs.

Its defense cracked.

A figure slipped through the gap.

A golden claw thrust upward.

Pu!

The Golden Dragon Claw pierced straight into the human face beneath the spider's abdomen. Yellow-green blood gushed forth.

Ice rapidly spread over Ray's body, sealing him off from the toxic blood. Silverfalls Vine shot out again, binding the spider once more as he withdrew smoothly back into the darkness.

The battle had reached its decisive moment.

The Man-Faced Demon Spider's massive body convulsed violently. Yellow-green blood poured ceaselessly from the wound in its abdomen, splattering the ground beneath it. It tried to retaliate, its abdomen twitching as it attempted to fire more spider silk, but the threads barely traveled a few meters before falling limply to the ground.

Its strength was gone.

The once-dominant killer of the forest struggled weakly, its movements slowing with every passing second.

A beam of yellow light shot out from within the Curtain of Darkness.

The black fog gradually dispersed, revealing Ray standing at the center, his face pale but his posture steady. His right arm had already reverted to its human form, though golden scales still clung to it, shimmering faintly. Those scales had shielded him completely, preventing the corrosive blood from ever touching his flesh.

The hundred-year Man-Faced Demon Spider… was dead.

For a moment, silence reigned.

Then Volt suddenly lunged forward and wrapped Ray in a fierce embrace, his emotions overflowing. The others stared at the fallen corpse only a few meters away, their expressions a mixture of disbelief and awe.

They had done it.

Not through luck. Not through coincidence.

They had won through judgment, cooperation, and resolve.

Even Ray found it hard to believe. Before the battle began, he had fully prepared himself to sacrifice his life for the team. Yet here they stood, every one of them alive.

If his Golden Dragon Claw hadn't resisted the poison…

If Lily's ice hadn't sealed off the corrosive blood…

If any one step had gone wrong…

Death would have been inevitable.

Every second of that battle had been balanced on the edge of catastrophe.

*

Inside the Spirit Tower's monitoring room, the staff member stared at the screen, utterly stunned.

He couldn't speak.

That was a hundred-year Man-Faced Demon Spider.

A soul beast feared even by four- and five-ring Soul Masters, one that professionals would avoid unless fully prepared. And yet, five children, none older than twelve, none with more than two soul rings… had slain it.

It was absurd. It was impossible.

And yet it had happened.

Even Alfred, usually cold and expressionless, wore a faint smile.

"He meets the requirements of a Control System Soul Master," he murmured quietly.

And more than that, he had grown faster than any of them.

This battle tested not only strength, but also knowledge, timing, and nerve. Alfred saw it clearly. The moment Ray slipped beneath the spider's body, Alfred finally understood his intent.

"Teacher," the staff member said after a long pause, his voice filled with awe, "if I submit a recording of this battle to headquarters… the Spirit Tower might make an exception and recruit them. Their potential is terrifying."

Alfred did not reply, but his gaze never left the screen.

The staff member had seen countless battles, but never one like this.

At first, he thought the children were making a fatal mistake by allowing the Man-Faced Demon Spider to tighten its web. The obvious choices were retreat or sacrifice one member so the rest could escape. Those strategies had been proven time and time again.

But Ray's team chose a third path.

Lily's earth element, hidden until the decisive moment, shattered the spider's certainty. The obelisk pierced the web at its weakest point, forcing the spider to act.

Volt's sudden charge drew out the second web.

Raziel Phoenix's Light Dragon Storm struck from behind.

The golden Silverfalls Vine bound, released, and broke at the precise instant needed.

And finally—

Ice-covered, toxin-resistant, Ray struck from beneath.

Perfect execution.

The Man-Faced Demon Spider was not foolish. It was patient, cunning, and deadly. But it had been outthought.

The staff member slowly turned to Alfred, his eyes burning with respect.

"This," he thought silently, "is what true teaching looks like."

As the last remnants of his soul power drained away, Ray finally sat down heavily on the ground. A wave of exhaustion washed over him, sinking deep into his bones.

Yet beneath the fatigue, a powerful aftertaste lingered.

Control.

The sensation of directing the entire battlefield, of guiding every movement and decision, carved an unforgettable mark into his heart. It was a satisfaction unlike anything cultivation alone could provide.

He had used Little Gold to reinforce his Silverfalls Vine, pushing its control to the limit. But there were no free gains in this world. While the grass had grown terrifyingly strong, his soul power had been consumed at an alarming rate.

It wasn't that he didn't want to keep the Man-Faced Demon Spider bound from start to finish. If he could have maintained that state, he wouldn't even have needed to strike a vital point. His Golden Dragon Claw alone would have been enough to crush the spider outright.

But the consumption was simply too great.

In the end, he had no choice but to withdraw Gold, preserving just enough soul power for the final, decisive strike.

That perfectly timed cooperation with Lily at the end wasn't some spur-of-the-moment miracle. It was the natural result of planning, trust, and an understanding so deep that even the two of them were surprised by it.

"That was insane!" Barbara shouted, his voice trembling with excitement and disbelief.

Ray forced a weak smile. "Everyone… rest here and recover your soul power."

He closed his eyes first, sinking into meditation.

Safety was the least of their worries now. The toxic spider webs surrounding them formed a natural barrier. Soul beasts and humans alike would instinctively avoid this place. For the moment, they were completely secure.

The five sat in a loose circle, Ray naturally at the center.

Only now, after standing together against the Man-Faced Demon Spider, did they truly acknowledge him as their captain.

He had commanded the entire battle, faced death head-on, and never retreated. Even knowing that a single mistake could mean unbearable agony, he had still stepped forward without hesitation. That resolve left a deep impression on all of them.

More importantly, he had demonstrated the terrifying potential of a Control System Soul Master. Even with his limited soul power, his control had dictated the flow of the entire battle. If his cultivation were higher, the results would have been unimaginable.

A dim yellow glow drifted toward Ray as spirit energy was absorbed into his body.

This spirit energy felt different.

Though still yellow, it carried a richness and sharpness unlike ordinary hundred-year soul beasts. Even the thousand-year soul beast they had slain before hadn't felt like this. During the rebellion period, spirit energy was denser, slower to disperse, and far more potent.

And the benefits soon became apparent.

The forest around them stirred.

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