Kael took a step back, letting Eren face the human-faced tarantula.
He had brought the boy here for this: to put him in front of the unknown, to force him to bleed, to move, to think.
His performance in the hallway had made that clear. He reacted well, but he thought slowly. He lacked edge.
Kael didn't blame him. It was natural. Real experience isn't learned from books. It's earned by risking your life.
He leaned against the living room wall, took a purple apple out of his leather bag, and began to bite into it, emotionless. His eyes were not on the creature, but on Eren.
If he died here, he would be useless. If he survived, the effort of molding him would be worth it.
On the other hand, Eren, with his empty gaze and his body covered in wounds, was breathing heavily. His fingers, numb and trembling, closed tightly around the hilt of the coin sword, feeling the cold metal against his sweaty palm.
He took a few deep breaths to relax his body.
He could sense that Kael would not come to his aid, and now that his head was filled with questions, he did not want to die yet, not until he found an answer.
Crack!
The human-faced tarantula moved.
Eren barely had time to blink before that thing was in front of him. The hairy leg, thick as a tree trunk, rose and unleashed a brutal attack.
Eren's brown eyes widened in surprise; despite its size, the creature was far too fast! Due to his slow reaction, he could only raise his sword in front of him to block the powerful attack.
CRACK!
The impact reverberated through his bones before the sound reached his ears. The sword vibrated in his hands, transmitting the pain to his shoulders. The force of the attack lifted him off the ground like a rag doll.
Before his senses returned, all he could feel was a strange emptiness. His back crashed into the wall; under his weight, it cracked like a spider's web. Pain coursed through his entire body.
Eren fell to the ground, feeling a metallic taste filling his mouth; his world was reduced to flashes of light and pain. The wounds he had bandaged earlier reopened, and new ones appeared.
His eyes moved unconsciously and met Kael's indifferent gaze, who had not moved a single muscle while biting into the purple apple.
What did I expect...
Eren rested his hand on his bent leg and stood up with great effort, unable to stop himself from laughing. He had forgotten for a moment who his master really was.
Why did I think he would help me?
Taking the coin sword, Eren adopted a very awkward stance, full of openings, and fixed his gaze on the tarantula with a human face. Beneath his feet, a small pool of blood formed.
The sword trembled in his hand. His body was bleeding. His eyes were burning. But even so, he did not back down.
Because he knew Kael was not going to move. He wouldn't.
And if he didn't fight, he would die. It was that simple.
"KYYYEE!"
The tarantula lunged again, its legs echoing on the floor. Eren rolled to the side, his expression contorted with pain. Dust clouded his vision, but the buzzing of the legs kept him moving.
As he rolled around on the ground, staining it with his blood, his mind, despite the pain, was focused on how to defeat the tarantula. Using his momentum, he got up, leaning on one of his feet.
Sweat and blood ran down his body; despite being so badly injured, he had not made a single attack. Eren looked at the creature wearily.
At that moment, the image of his beloved sister's face overlapped with the tarantula's human face. Several memories that had been buried deep in his mind emerged.
The tarantula did not waste this opportunity: it moved quickly and launched a powerful attack on his head with one of its eight hairy legs.
A hissing sound reached his ears, and Eren's eyes flew open. He dropped to the ground; the paw passed just inches from his head, and he could even see the thousands of hairs.
He rolled across the ground again, trying to get away while dodging the multiple attacks from the different paws, and got up again.
Now, his vision was becoming blurred from exhaustion and blood loss.
Why did the image of my sister appear now? Eren was very confused, but he shook his head, attributing it to exhaustion and heavy blood loss.
Kael didn't move. He just chewed slowly, as if watching a mediocre show.
He has good reflexes. But he overthinks. He thought, biting into his purple apple.
Seeing Eren's pathetic performance, Kael was considering leaving and letting the human-faced tarantula finish him off. Although he was a future cardinal, he meant nothing to him.
I had too many expectations. Kael took out another purple apple, took a bite, and continued looking at Eren.
...
The thick air reeked of coagulated blood, rotting flesh, and moldy dampness.
Each breath burned Eren's lungs, but even so, in this brief respite between attacks, he managed to regain a thread of strength. His bruised and burning muscles protested with every movement.
The tarantula, with its human face contorted with rage, spat out a guttural hiss. Its hairy legs drummed against the ground, marking a frantic rhythm.
Although its attacks were swift and brutal, the creature also showed signs of fatigue: its movements were no longer as precise, its attacks lost their synchrony. But even so, its endurance far surpassed Eren's.
The room, once stained only by dust and decay, now had large splatters of dark, almost black blood spreading like cobwebs across the floor.
The metallic, rotten smell was so thick that Eren could taste it on his tongue.
He adjusted his stance, planting his feet firmly in the sticky ground, and held his breath. He had devised a plan, a desperate move. He didn't know if it would work, but it was his only chance.
"KYYEE!!"
The tarantula didn't keep him waiting. With a piercing screech, it lunged forward, this time more violently, more impatiently. Its frustration made it reckless. Its eight legs moved in a whirlwind, a shower of sharp points seeking to pierce, tear, and turn Eren into another stain on the floor.
It was almost impossible to dodge. One leg grazed his side, opening a new gash of pain in his already bruised skin. Another grazed his throat, enough to leave a trickle of warm blood running down his neck.
Then...
Eren saw an opening amid the barrage of attacks. A tiny mistake. He charged at the creature like a dying man without faith.
The sword screeched as it cut through the air, then flesh.
CRAASH!
One of its legs separated from its body with a repulsive pop. Black blood spurted out like a fountain.
The tarantula screeched, not in pain, but in rage, retreating as if it had lost more than just a limb.