The spider was moving fast, and at any moment it would jump at me. My mind buzzed with the primal need to fight, to claw, to tear it apart. The moment it appeared, going straight for me, I lunged, throwing myself at it with reckless abandon.

I clawed at it, again and again, without mercy, not letting it escape. Its legs slashed at me, sharp and deadly, but I didn’t care. I let them tear into my skin, ripping through my clothes, the pain coursing through my body. But every time it hurt me, I could see it getting hurt too, the spider’s own body recoiling as it felt the damage it inflicted on me.

I laughed, the sound raw and unhinged, as I dug my claws into its hard exoskeleton. The creature screeched, its many legs thrashing wildly, trying to throw me off. But I clung to it with everything I had, sinking my claws deeper, ripping through its armored body with savage fury.

Its legs slashed across my chest and arms, leaving deep gashes that bled freely, but I didn’t care. I was going to win or die trying. Each wound only fueled the fire inside me, the rage that had been buried for so long now burning brightly. I continuously healed as many cuts as I could without thinking too much about it, my body instinctively mending itself as I continued to fight.

At one moment, the spider’s body jerked, and with a shrill screech, one of its sharp, blade-like legs came straight for my face, its deadly tip aimed directly at me. The leg sliced through the skin on the right side of my face, from my mouth to my ear, leaving a deep, ragged cut that immediately gushed blood.

I felt the pain, and I laughed. I grabbed the leg with my clawed hand, my grip tightening as I gritted my teeth. I could feel the exoskeleton crack under the pressure, and with a savage growl, I clenched harder until the leg snapped with a sickening crunch. The spider let out a pained screech, its body convulsing beneath me as I threw the broken limb aside.

It tried to throw me off again, jerking violently, but I held firm, my claws tearing through its legs, its abdomen, anything my claws could reach. I could feel its body weakening beneath me, its movements growing more sluggish with each passing second.

Blood—both mine and the spider’s—continued to splatter across the ground, staining the earth beneath us. My clothes were shredded, my skin torn and bleeding, but I didn’t stop. I couldn’t stop. Not until this was over.

Raising my right hand, I drove all of my claws deep into the spider’s broken torso, pushing through the thick exoskeleton until I could feel the soft, vulnerable flesh beneath. The spider twitched, but it wasn’t fast enough to react. With a savage roar, I pulled my hand through the creature’s body, cutting deep and wide.

Finally, with one last soft, guttural screech, the spider collapsed. Its body twitched once, twice, then fell still. I lay over it, panting, my chest heaving as I stared at the motionless creature beneath me.

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Warm light spread over my body as the healing continued, slow but steady. My breaths came in ragged gasps, and I could feel the blood from the gash on my face slowly clotting, though the wound throbbed painfully.

I rolled to the ground next to the spider, lying flat on my back as the adrenaline began to fade. I was surprised my insides were still… well, inside me. The sky above me was a blur of dark leaves and sunlight, my vision hazy from the fight. For a moment, I just lay there, letting the warm light of healing wash over me, mending the torn muscles and deep cuts.

Then, after what felt like an eternity, I slowly pushed myself to my feet. My body was still wounded, but it was steadily getting better. I chuckled softly, my voice barely a whisper, and turned to where Lance was still pinned to the tree, his eyes wide in shock.

He couldn’t speak, the webbing covering his mouth, but his expression said it all. Now that I wasn’t so immersed in all the fighting, I felt myself flush a bit at the look he was giving me. I felt weird, like two different people were still heatedly arguing inside me, and, somehow, I could swear both of them were me.

I walked over, still catching my breath, and began to peel the sticky webbing off him, freeing him from the tree.

As soon as he was loose, Lance stumbled forward, trying to get the remnants of the web out of him, his gaze still locked on me, eyes filled with a mixture of awe and concern. “What… the hell was that?” he finally managed to ask, his voice hoarse.

I shook my head, still panting. “I… I don’t know. But it worked, didn’t it?” I gave him a half-smile, but it didn’t quite reach my eyes. The weight of what I’d just done was starting to settle in, and it left a weird feeling in my chest.

Lance stared at me for another moment, then sighed, rubbing his temples as if trying to process everything. He glanced at the shredded remains of my clothes, then at the massive spider lying dead nearby. “Yeah… it worked.”

He reached for me, light coming from his hand, but I grabbed his wrist to stop him. “I’ve got it.”

I then turned to the girl who was still trapped on the ground, pinned by the spider’s webbing. As I walked toward her, I realized who she was—the tough redheaded girl from the inn. The one who had served us the day before.

Her eyes were wide, filled with fear as I approached. I crouched down and carefully peeled the webbing off her, freeing her limbs one by one. She didn’t say anything, just watched me in stunned silence.

Once she was free, I stood up and glanced back at Lance, who was already moving towards her. He placed a hand on her shoulder, his face softening as he began to heal her wounds. I took a step back, wiping the blood from my now normal hands as best I could, the adrenaline still making my fingers tremble.

“You okay?” Lance asked the girl as he worked, his voice gentle.

She nodded, though she still looked a bit dazed. “I… I think so,” she whispered, her voice shaking.

I watched as Lance’s hands glowed softly, the light of healing wrapping around her like a warm blanket. Part of me wanted to step in, to help, but I knew I couldn’t do much, at least not now. I still felt the lingering pull of Archangel’s Touch in my soul, but I was too drained to use it on others.

Besides, Lance had it under control.

I leaned against a nearby tree, letting out a long breath as I watched him work. The fight had left me exhausted, both physically and mentally, but there was also a strange sense of satisfaction settling in my chest. I had fought… and I had won. And I felt stronger than ever.