Chapter 97: The Meeting In The Monster Realm II

Then Jorogumo called out Bakuteriya, her raspy yet regal female voice echoing through the vast, ancient chamber with commanding authority.

The Spider Queen sat at the head of the massive black marble table, her eight completely black eyes gleaming like polished obsidian as she leaned forward slightly.

Her six human arms rested elegantly on the scarred surface, fingers tapping lightly in a slow, deliberate rhythm, while her massive spider legs below the table clicked softly against the stone floor, the sound reverberating like distant thunder.

Her blue hair cascaded like midnight water down her pale shoulders, framing a face of cold, seductive beauty. The room itself amplified her presence — the tall, shadowy pillars seemed to lean in, the flickering torchlight from iron braziers casting long, twisting shadows that danced across the faded tapestries of fallen gods and conquered realms.

The air was thick with the scent of sulfur, old blood, and ancient silk, the obsidian floor reflecting the monsters’ forms like a dark mirror.

"You, Bakuteriya," she said, her voice smooth but laced with power, the eight black eyes fixing on the slime-like creature with unblinking intensity.

"You recently came in contact with Kiyoshi Rin, right?"

Bakuteriya replied, his venom-like form rippling and shifting on the chair, tendrils extending and retracting nervously as he tried to maintain a more humanoid silhouette.

His glossy black surface glistened under the torchlight, bubbles of dark venom occasionally rising and popping with faint, acrid smoke.

"Yes, I did... I could barely escape.

And that was only possible due to he found someone stronger than me to fight with.

Instead, I would have been in big trouble."

He recounted the encounter with visible fear, his form quivering as he remembered how Rin had ignored him in favor of the stronger boy Ken, the slime-like body contracting and expanding as if reliving the terror.

Luck had been on his side that day — Rin’s love for challenging stronger opponents had spared him, allowing the slime creature to slip away while the human focused on the more worthy fight.

The memory made Bakuteriya’s surface bubble faster, the dark venom dripping onto the table in small, hissing drops.

Then Jorogumo said, her voice carrying a mix of amusement and frustration as she leaned back in the massive throne-like chair, her six human arms folding across her chest while her spider legs shifted below, clicking against the stone.

"Hmmm, I know Kiyoshi Rin always loves fighting stronger opponents."

She spoke with the weight of experience, her eight black eyes narrowing as she recalled their past clash. "But why doesn’t he come look for me?"

The Spider Queen’s tone held a hint of irritation, her blue hair shifting as she tilted her head, the human upper body graceful and seductive while the massive spider lower body remained a constant reminder of her monstrous nature.

She had observed Rin’s pattern over the years — the human seemed drawn to powerful foes that could push him to his limits, seeking the thrill of true combat rather than easy victories.

Yet he had not sought her out again, despite their previous encounter.

She continued, her voice growing heavier with memory, "We’ve fought once before, but I wouldn’t call that a fair fight due to my children and my agents fighting him, not letting him get to me."

The fight had been chaotic and unfair in Rin’s eyes. Jorogumo had opened multiple portals, releasing waves of her spider children and loyal agents into the battlefield, swarming Rin from all directions and preventing him from focusing on her directly.

The constant interruptions, the endless horde of lesser monsters, had made concentration impossible, turning what should have been a direct confrontation into a frustrating war of attrition.

Rin had lost interest after that, finding the fight unsatisfying and unbalanced, the Spider Queen’s tactics denying him the pure, one-on-one challenge he craved. Jorogumo’s eight black eyes gleamed as she spoke, her six human arms gesturing gracefully to emphasize the memory, the spider legs below tapping the floor in rhythm with her words, the ancient castle room seeming to listen with bated breath.

Then Baba Yaga said, leaning forward with a low, cackling laugh that echoed off the stone walls like breaking glass, her long brown hair cascading like liquid chocolate as she tilted her head.

"Kiyoshi Rin..." She laughed again, a rich, amused sound that filled the chamber, her fair skin glowing in the torchlight as her amber eyes sparkled with dark humor.

"He came looking for me at my place in Russia just to fight, and he was just a little boy then.

I barely escaped." The witch recounted the memory with vivid relish, describing how the young Rin had traveled from Japan to her remote hut in the Russian wilderness, driven by rumors of her strength.

He had challenged her directly, his youthful power clashing with her ancient magic in a battle that shook the frozen forests.

Baba Yaga had used every trick — illusions, curses, and her infamous hut on chicken legs — to survive the encounter, barely escaping with her life as the boy’s raw potential overwhelmed her defenses.

The story painted Rin as a relentless force even as a child, his determination to test himself against legends making him a figure of both admiration and caution among the monsters.

The room fell into a heavy silence as the high-ranking monsters absorbed the stories, the flickering torchlight casting long, twisting shadows across the scarred black marble table.

The ancient tapestries on the walls seemed to come alive in the firelight, depicting fallen gods and conquered realms as silent witnesses to the conversation.

The air grew thicker with the scent of sulfur and old blood, the obsidian floor reflecting the monsters’ forms like a dark mirror as they shifted in their seats, the weight of Rin’s name hanging over the meeting like a storm cloud.

Jorogumo’s eight black eyes gleamed with renewed interest, her six human arms resting on the table as she leaned forward, her spider legs clicking softly below. The Spider Queen’s blue hair shifted like midnight water as she considered the implications, the chamber’s high ceiling disappearing into shadow above them, the massive pillars groaning faintly as if the castle itself reacted to the discussion.

The other monsters — the stitched Boogeyman with his glowing red eyes, the fluid Bakuteriya rippling in his seat, and the rest of the high-ranking attendees — watched in silence, their auras of power pressing against each other in the confined space.

The meeting had taken a dangerous turn, the name Kiyoshi Rin stirring old fears and new ambitions among the gathered monsters, the ancient castle room feeling smaller under the weight of their collective gaze.