Want to read ahead? Join my Patreon for just $7 to get early access to all upcoming chapters!
> Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations
─────
Chapter 166: Initial Display of Abilities
When looking up, they could still see the spiders dangling above them. However, no one in the squad showed any signs of surprise.
By the time they jumped out from below, they had already sensed the situation outside. Furthermore, both Ronin and Muhuell had their En active; those giant spiders couldn't possibly hide from their perception.
Because of this, the mercenaries opened fire the exact second they emerged from below, and Ronin simultaneously finished weaving his new set of hand signs.
It was still Wind Style, but this time, it was Wind Style: Pressure Damage!
This was the ability used by Kakuzu in the Naruto manga, and in Ronin's eyes, it was the perfect technique for clearing the field.
Ronin's Chakra condensed into a high-density mass of wind that abruptly detonated in the air. The resulting gale swept up all the spiders hanging above them, hurtling them away while aggressively pushing toward the passageway at the front of the platform.
Along its destructive path, masses of spiders were thrown into the air, and a portion of them were forcefully shoved toward the edge of the high-rise buildings by the intense winds.
However, Ronin also noticed that amidst the raging storm, several spiders shot thick strands of webbing from their abdomens, anchoring themselves to the ground. Incredibly, this allowed them to slowly stabilize their bodies against the howling gale.
But Ronin wasn't the only one attacking.
The flamethrower in Golem's hands had transformed back into a Gatling gun. As the submachine-gun-wielding squad members fired at the spiders desperately trying to anchor themselves in the storm, the Gatling gun finally spat blue fire.
Rat-a-tat-tat!
The bullets formed a near-continuous line of destruction, piercing through the gale and shredding every visible spider on the platform.
As the violent wind slowly pushed forward, the massive Golem mech matched its pace, taking measured steps.
Ronin didn't cast another jutsu. The effects of Wind Style: Pressure Damage would last until the Chakra he had poured into it was entirely depleted. According to his calculations, this would be more than enough to let the squad advance to the entrance.
With his hands now free, Ronin turned his attention toward the ceiling.
Writhing spiders could still be seen clinging to the cavern walls above. They arranged themselves into three long rows, all swarming toward the entrance.
The fierce winds whipping across the platform caused the spiders dangling from the ceiling to let out ear-piercing screeches. The ones nearest the front swung down on white silk threads, lunging directly at the group on the platform below.
After all, Ronin's Wind Style had been directed straight ahead.
But the rear guard consisted of Muhuell and Mashuel. Once Ronin had dealt with the swarm in front, the two men simultaneously made their move.
Muhuell was still holding his sniper rifle. The moment he raised it, Ronin noticed a massive amount of aura converging into the weapon.
This sniper rifle was a specialized model, not something created through Conjuration. When the bullet left the chamber, even Ronin felt a slight twinge of danger.
The projectile tearing through the air didn't look like a standard sniper round; it looked more like a blast from a howitzer.
Boom!
An explosive roar echoed across the cavern ceiling, immediately followed by a blanket of flames that rapidly spread across the rock face.
Enhancement Nen?
Ronin made a quick judgment. It seemed Muhuell's Enhancement applied specifically to his sniper rifle and the bullets it fired.
However, the sniper rifle's targets were the spiders on the ceiling. The ones that had already swung down on their webs were completely outside Muhuell's blast radius.
That was where Mashuel came in.
Mashuel sank his stance, gathering energy in his core. He placed both hands at his waist, where his Nen rapidly formed a condensed sphere of aura. With a sudden burst, he fired it forward like a shockwave.
A textbook Emitter!
Ronin identified it instantly. Moreover, Mashuel was a pure Emitter, without any added spatial attributes mixed into his technique. His entire combat style revolved around long-range, suppressive firepower!
The shockwave formed by the aura sphere slammed into the swinging spiders, obliterating more than half of their bodies in a single heartbeat.
The sheer destructive power seemed even greater than Franklin's Double Machine Gun. This was primarily due to Mashuel's massive aura reserves, coupled with the sheer size of his Nen bullets compared to Franklin's.
After just a few blasts of his aura spheres, the swinging spiders were reduced to mangled corpses, left to dangle and sway in the air by the webs attached to their abdomens.
Meanwhile, the intense heat generated by Muhuell's shots severely weakened the structural integrity of the spider silk. Soon, the threads snapped, sending the ruined spider carcasses plunging into the "abyss" below.
The squad members handling support roles trailed closely behind Golem, their submachine guns raised.
As the effects of the Wind Style finally dissipated, the barrels of Golem's Gatling gun glowed a cherry red. The Nen user sitting in the passenger seat of Golem's conjured mech looked slightly pale—a clear sign of excessive energy consumption.
They executed a seamless, well-practiced swap without Golem ever breaking his stride.
The iron hammer in Golem's hand swung wildly. As he trampled over the carpet of spider corpses, he mercilessly smashed any surviving spiders trying to rush back out from the entrance, sending them flying.
Vanessa slipped into the shadows, phasing ahead into the passageway first.
Ronin strolled casually behind Golem. For the most part, he didn't even need to lift a finger. Whenever he did, it was merely to pick up a few loose rocks from the ground. Infused with Enhancement Nen, even simple pebbles became lethal weapons against the spiders.
"Spiders are flesh-and-blood creatures that need to eat." Ronin's gaze swept over the carcasses. "Their food source definitely isn't those wooden monsters down below. That means there has to be another passage near the ceiling where these spiders can hunt for sufficient food."
"The middle passage is packed with monsters. Those creatures are likely completely different from the wooden ones in the underground city; they should be genuine flesh and blood. If the spiders have a steady food supply, it's highly probable that they're feeding on the monsters living in the space connected to the middle passage," Muhuell reasoned. "After all, in all these years, there haven't been any reports of massive animal or human die-offs in the Ateli Kingdom."
Ronin nodded in agreement. "Then why are these spiders suddenly trying to swarm out through the passage we came from? And by the looks of it, they're in a frantic hurry."
"I don't know if you noticed, but not all the spiders on the ceiling came toward us," Muhuell pointed out.
"Yeah, I saw. There were huge clusters of them swarming above the buildings closer to the walls. As for anything further out, it's too dark to see," Ronin noted with a hint of regret.
If there really was another route leading to the middle section like Muhuell suggested, it had to be located much further along the ceiling or the cavern walls.
Unless absolutely necessary, Ronin had zero desire to set foot in that middle passage. Based on the intel they had gathered so far, the middle route of the Mahavi Ruins seemed less like a ruin and more like a twisted monster sanctuary.
While exploring near the dead tree at the base of the buildings, they had discovered quite a few bone fragments near similar conveyor belt systems. Judging by the remains, the flesh being transported to the dead tree was not human.
Combining that with the staggering number of spiders on the ceiling and the theories about their food source, the most logical conclusion was that a specific location within these ruins served as a breeding ground or storage area for "sacrifices."
─────
Support this fanfict by leaving Positive Review, Comments, and Power Stones.
For Advance Chapters:
> Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations