The swarm of ebony monstrous insects rushed in within a heartbeat—all aiming for the crippled human with a sly smirk on his face.
If this had been the old Zane, he would have frozen to death under the massive inbound tide of black chitin.
But he wasn't the same anymore.
He had power now—the burning Salamander Arm of his—and he would use it not just to survive...
But to conquer!
He raised his sole arm, gathering mana into the palm of his hand once more...
The bloodlust of those insects was closing in, closer and closer, yet... he faced them with a grin.
And when they were almost at lunging range—
"...Firewall!"
—He swiped his hand wide—!
FWOOSH—!
The fire in his palm morphed and erupted into a towering wall of flame that slammed down in front of the swarm, halting their path of carnage...!
SHRIEK—!
Some of the unlucky ones were caught off guard by the Firewall and instantly engulfed by the searing heat...!
The now familiar stench of burning chitin filled the cavern... scorched limbs twitched and fell apart as the wall of flame roared and hissed before him...!
Yet through the flickering blaze, Zane could see it—
Dozens more eyes glinting, just beyond the flame's light.
Hesitating.
Shifting.
Yet...
Still skittering.
A chorus of shrill shrieks echoed through the cavern walls.
They weren't retreating.
They were circling.
Zane clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"Tch... so you bugs aren't gonna back down, huh?"
Yet... his grin did not fade, though a spark of caution flickered within him.
"Fine by me—"
He flexed his burning arm, feeling the heat pulse against his scorched skin.
"—come get roasted, then."
The ebony insects kept circling the large firewall at each edge, hoping to flank him on both sides...!
But Zane had already anticipated such a move.
"Not happening!" He channeled even more mana into his hand; it glowed with intense heat. "Firewall!"
Immediately, he swiped his hand in a wide arc once more—but this time, it was not just one firewall, but two!
Two massive walls of flame flared to life at both of his flanks, just as tall and scorching as the first—!
Shriek—!
A few more of the ebony insects were caught off guard and incinerated by the newly formed walls...!
Yet they proved relentless, still trying to circle the lone human behind the burning barriers that blocked their path to him—
"Not a chance!"
Zane, however, had foreseen this—!
"Firewall!"
He immediately cast another wall behind him—!
FWOOSH—!
Shriek—!
He cut them off before they could even try! Each wall blocked the ebony insects from advancing, shielding him from the wave of chitinous bodies...!
The walls of flame effectively boxed him in, creating a bona fide fortress of fire that no mere insect monsters could ever breach...!
And with their attempt at swarming thwarted, desperation—and confusion—spread among their ranks, making them scuttle and shriek in restless circles.
Yet... Zane could see it—one insect behaving differently while the rest hesitated at the flame's edge.
"Hah... guess you're their alpha, huh?"
One of the ebony insects, a larger variant of its kind, skittered forward; its powerful hind legs set it apart from the rest. Its lesser kin parted to clear its path...
As if it was the only one among them that could hope to challenge the burning human.
"...Wait a minute."
Zane squinted through the flickering blaze... and realized something about this 'alpha.'
However, he was not given time to think—!
"...!"
The alpha of the ebony insects had already braced itself in front of its brethren, tensing its large hind legs—before—
It lunged into the firewall—!
The alpha burst through the blazing wall—! Its massive mandibles clacked open wide, aiming to tear Zane apart in one vicious snap—!
But Zane was ready; his grin widened in savage delight.
His burning arm was already raised high, flame swirling and crawling up to his shoulder—!
"Come here... you damn bug—!"
With a roar, he slammed his clawed, flame-coated fist straight down—!
CRACK—!
SHRIEK—!
The alpha's head was smashed into the cave floor—! A small crater split open beneath the sheer force, shards of rock and even chitin scattering under the brutal impact—!
But... it did not kill the it.
Yet.
"I know you..."
Zane's breathing was ragged... but his grin twisted into something darker.
"...You're the bug that got me...!"
He could feel it—this was the one.
The same insect that had gotten him first among the swarm.
The same insect that had cut off one of his legs and almost dragged him into the pit of despair...!
The insect's body thrashed under his iron grip—jagged legs scraping at the ground, mandibles snapping wildly to bite him—
But Zane only pressed harder.
"Hahaha~, it is 'you'~!"
The heat around his arm burned brighter, licking at the monster's flailing limbs.
"Struggle all you want, it only makes this sweeter~!"
SHRIEK—!
The alpha shrieked once more—its shrill screech echoing off the cavern walls—!
But Zane continued to laugh at its helpless thrashing... his rage twisting into vicious satisfaction.
"Payback time—!"
He poured more mana to the tips of his claws, each digit glowing molten red before turning into a giant, burning claw...!
Then, for just a second, he loosened his grip—letting the alpha jerk its head up in panic—
Too late.
He brought his burning claws crashing down—!
"SALAMANDER'S CLAW—!"
A brutal slash—!
The alpha's head exploded into charred chunks, its neck stump hissing as flames seared flesh and chitin alike—!
What was left of its body twitched mindlessly, spasming on the cratered floor.
Zane exhaled, his breath ragged from the sheer amount of mana he'd poured into this single attack...
But...
"Hahaha..."
His ragged grin stayed carved into his face. A sliver of savage satisfaction coiled in his soul...
"Ahahaha...!"
As he tasted the sweetness of revenge...!
Then his eyes drifted to its massive hind legs—those powerful limbs that had once ripped his own away.
"...An eye for an eye..."
He slammed his burning claw down, pinning the twitching corpse in place—his grip closing around one of its thick back legs.
"A pair of legs... for a pair of legs~."