But luckily for her, Nott had charged in. No longer facing the brunt of the tendrils alone, he dashed forward at the Blood Burst, lunging toward it and bashing his morbid shield into the face of the beast with such overwhelming force that it cracked instantly.

It didn’t kill the monster, but it dazed it, disrupting its attempt to pull Silva into its maws.

Nott took action immediately, slicing through all the tendrils that held Silva in place, grabbing onto her, and pivoting away from the ghastly Disaster with practiced urgency.

KIEEECK!

The Blood Burst snarled in fury, regaining its composure almost immediately as it turned toward the two with heinous resentment burning in its hollow gaze.

"Hey! Keep your eyes on me, you bastard!" Shawn yelled out, his army of twelve spiders already fully formed and bearing down on the Demonic Disaster.

The overwhelming numbers of the Dreadling Spiders rained down on the Blood Burst, keeping it busy as they attacked relentlessly—shooting webs at the monster to restrain the Disaster, biting into its flesh, and burying it under their weight.

Despite only being able to inflict nothing more than shallow injuries on the Blood Burst before dying one after the other, they served their purpose well as a powerful distraction.

"Fuck!" Silva coughed up blood, finding it hard to keep her focus as she glared at the outnumbered Blood Burst, slowly devouring and murdering each Spider Dreadling with brutal efficiency. She turned her gaze around, spotting Steven crouched and staring at the battle unfolding as though waiting patiently for an opening.

"Do you trust me!" he yelled out, his eyes snapping toward Silva.

Silva did not hesitate before nodding in reply. She was trained for such life-threatening situations, sharp and decisive when it came to making split-second choices.

With that, Steven waited, still crouched as he watched spider after spider die. ’I want to be the one to get the kill to steal the poison skill, but if this plan works, I’m not sure I’ll be the one to kill the Blood Burst,’ he frowned inwardly.

Waiting until the very last spider was being devoured by the gaping mouth in the gut of the Blood Burst, Steven finally reacted.

"Nott! Throw her."

Silva’s face paled as she turned around to face Steven, confusion flashing across her expression at his words.

But that moment of hesitation was far too late.

The Grey Knight was quick to follow orders, grabbing onto her one good arm and, with all his force, hurling her through the air toward the monster like some sort of living spear.

She did not resist while airborne, instantly understanding what Steven was planning. It was reckless, filled with loopholes that could easily get her killed, but it was a plan worth the risk.

The obese Blood Burst finished dealing with the last Spider weave, its horrible gaze snapping toward Silva as she soared through the air, her sword clenched tightly in her grasp while she engulfed it in surreal, icy energy.

This was its prey—coming straight to it.

The Blood Burst seemed almost too excited, greedily taking the bait as it stretched out its massive hand to catch her mid-air.

That was its mistake.

A blinding light shone, and within the flash of a mere second, the brilliant energy of the Rampage Blast erupted from Steven’s palm, striking the Blood Burst directly in the face. The attack burned deeply into its flesh, charring its eyeballs instantly as smoke hissed into the air.

It shrilled once again, its massive hand flying up to clutch its face as unbearable pain consumed it.

This... this was the opening they needed.

Silva reached the Blood Burst and swung her frost-ridden blade through its arm and throat, cutting through flesh and bone alike. In one fluid motion, she beheaded the monster, skidding several meters as she landed before collapsing face-first onto the marble floor in exhaustion and blood loss.

The body of the Blood Burst followed shortly after. Without its head, the obese and hideous corpse dropped to its knees before slamming forward onto the ground, blood pouring across the once-pristine marbled hallway.

They had won.

Steven frowned as no notification appeared—no surge of strength, no increase to his physique, no skills copied.

This was not his kill.

The Grey Knight pulled back its head as though sighing, either in relief or from the sheer exhaustion of the long, harrowing battle.

Shawn was no different, falling to his knees in tiredness. ’If I had not found these people, I would have never survived in this place...’ he thought, his gaze shifting from Steven down to Silva.

Steven rose to his feet and walked forward, past the foul corpse of the Blood Burst, stopping beside Silva as she lay on the cold, blood-soaked marble floor.

"Are you going to die on us now?" he asked, puzzled as he stared down at the hole through her gut, where he could clearly see her insides.

But strangely enough, the wound was closing itself at an astonishing rate, regenerating so quickly it made his own physique-based healing seem almost childish in comparison.

"I’m not going to die today," she replied, a small grin appearing on her blood-stained face. "I finally met a group as crazy as I am—to live through a battle against a Disaster."

Steven frowned at her remark. "I thought you could see fate. How did you end up getting struck?"

Silva sighed, taking her time to think through her answer before speaking. "Well, I can’t see the fate of people or monsters... stronger than I am."

Steven’s brows lifted in surprise. That made sense, especially when he thought about how the Honourable Fatso had been so terrified of the Disaster despite being able to see fate.

"You ruined my armour," Steven said flatly, his concern not for her condition, but for the expensive gear he had paid good money for.

"I’m sorry," she replied, managing a small smile despite everything.

Steven could tell she was exhausted and in no condition to travel. Unfortunately, they would have to halt their venture through the cursed ruins for now.

He turned away from her and faced Nott. "Find a room for us to hide in."

He commanded it, the Grey Knight nodding in reply before walking deeper into the hall in search of shelter.

Steven then turned back to Silva and Shawn, silent thoughts swirling in his mind as he reminisced about their fragile chances of survival.

{Your sponsor wonders what you plan to do with your teammates? Will they betray you? Or will you betray them first?}

Steven clicked his tongue. "We’ll find out soon enough."