The Spider Queen

(Alpha Star System- Planet Gaia)

(Peterlor Estate- Training Room No.3)

Sophie's figure blurred and then vanished from the spot. She reappeared next to the combat droid and tore its metalloid exterior apart using only her bladed appendages.

No… this wasn't enough… she needed more… more… MORE!

"Increase the difficulty to level five and turn off the safety protocols," Sophie yelled loudly.

Bleep! Bleep! Bleep!

A harsh ringing noise echoed through the training field as a holographic window was projected in front of her.

[Warning! Warning! Warning!]

[Level Five may increase the risk of serious injuries… do you wish to confirm?]

[Yes] [No]

Without hesitation Sophie touched the [Yes] option and the window slowly disappeared. 

The training room was silent for a moment and then a hole opened up in the middle of the field.

Sophie reached into her storage ring and pulled out her whip. An unusually serious expression flashed across her face.

This was going to be a tougher challenge. 

The AI unit monitoring the situation in the training field should stop the exercise if her life was truly in danger, but things could always go wrong.

A gigantic mechanical hand reached out from inside the hole and soon a colossal robot monster pulled itself out of the pit.

This creature was humanoid in appearance with four arms each wielding a different type of weapon.

Its upper right hand held a plasma rifle while its upper left hand held a sword. Its lower arms held a dagger and a crossbow respectively.

Its exterior was reinforced with a metalloid alloy that was able to resist the attacks of an ordinary qi tide cultivator.

The robotic titan was over thirty feet in height and towered over Sophie. It had been a while since the hybrid girl had been made to feel like an ant.

Sophie's body began to tremble uncontrollably. 

Not out of fear… but rather out of excitement.

The thrill of battle. The rush of the hunt. Sophie's golden eyes darkened as she stepped forward and kept her posture low.

A faint crimson mist was beginning to spread from the corners of her eyes and the familiar rush of madness was coursing through her veins.

The combat droid made the first move by firing off multiple arrows at Sophie's location using the crossbow.

Sophie easily moved her body to the side and dodged them one by one. Her movements did not escape the robot's sight and the arrows came faster and faster.

To her surprise, Sophie discovered that the robot was learning her movement pattern and beginning to predict her next steps.

But… she had not gone all out yet.

Sophie allowed the crimson colour to fully cover her golden eyes and her vision soon shifted into a world of orangish-red.

Dodge left… dodge right… duck your head… shift your body to the side…

Everything seemed to slow down to a crawl. Maybe it was the adrenaline, but Sophie had never felt so alive.

It almost made her forget why she was in such a bad mood.

Sophie pushed those negative thoughts to the back of her mind and focused on the fight. 

The qi in her dantian began to circulate in a certain pattern.

Black Whip Art- A Thousand Cuts!

Sophie extended her whip outwards and lashed it forward through the hail of arrows. The body of her whip contorted and changed directions in midair as it moved almost like a snake.

Bang!

The robot took a few steps back as the force of Sophie's attack made a small dent in its metalloid exterior.

Its mechanical eyes glowed in fury, but Sophie's qi technique had not finished yet. At the point of impact, tiny cracks began to spread out.

These cracks resembled cuts made by a knife and despite the combat droid's best efforts it was unable to determine how to stop the damage.

Sophie bent her knees and forced her qi to flow into her lower leg meridians. This was a reckless move but under the influence of her berserker state it seemed like the best choice.

She could feel her power surging as she leapt high into the air and launched herself directly at her opponent.

Swish!

Sophie narrowly avoided the dagger that swung directly at her position. She was forced to adjust her trajectory midflight in order not to be chopped in half by the robot's sword.

Cloud Treading Dragon!

Sophie channeled her qi into her feet and stepped on the air to get out of range. She still had a thread of sanity left and knew that a frontal attack would not succeed.

It was a shame that her poison techniques were useless against a mechanical enemy. Wait… actually…

An idea surfaced in Sophie's mind, and she stared at the robot with a thoughtful expression. 

Poison cultivators were not helpless against non-biological opponents otherwise they would not be valued in the Imperial Army.

By enhancing their toxins using qi, it was possible for these biological weapons to pass through metals or even dissolve them.

Professor Macabre had only taught them how to manipulate poison clouds and only mentioned the theories behind poison enhancement offhandedly.

But Sophie had a cheat.

The hybrid girl pulled a vial from her storage ring while running around the training field. She easily avoided the plasma shots that were fired off in her direction.

The liquid inside the vial was a deep purplish colour and it bubbled angrily. Sophie pulled out the stopper and a pungent scent entered her nostrils.

The poison inside the vial smelled of rotten eggs mixed with hydroperoxide… not exactly a pleasant experience.

Sophie grimaced before bringing the vial to her mouth and downing the contents in one smooth gulp.

She doubled over in pain for a brief moment as it felt as though her body was on fire.

Eventually she felt a cooling sensation spread throughout her body as her Arachnais physiology broke down and absorbed the toxins.

Sophie's venom glands swelled, and her fingernails and fangs lengthened. She was ready to hunt down her prey…

The only problem was how was she going to get the toxin out? 

Sophie wanted to try something but with the constant barrage of plasma fire it was difficult to stop for a minute and think.

"Pause the training and resume on my command," Sophie spoke clearly.

The robot immediately froze in place as the main AI unit assumed control of the combat droid. 

Sophie waited to make sure that the robot was safely deactivated and then finally relaxed. 

Okay maybe this was cheating but she really wanted to try out this new technique.

She didn't notice at the time but the crimson colour in her eyes gradually disappeared without a conscious effort.

Sophie doubled over and tried to expel the venom from her glands without biting down on something.

She tried for several minutes but only succeeding in almost throwing up on the ground from gagging too much.

Damn it… was this the only way? No… think… think…

Sophie clapped her hands together excitedly as she thought of another idea. She closed her eyes and tried to activate a simple poison technique.

Asura Poison Art!

The Leviathan's Wrath!

Sophie felt her fangs tingle and soon a purplish mist began to emerge out of her mouth. 

This smoke did not dissipate but rather clumped together to form the appearance of an enormous sea serpent.

She gestured towards the immobile robot and the mist shot forward like an arrow being released from a string.

It collided with the robot and a hissing sound could be heard as the metalloid exterior melted away.

The robot's eyes dimmed as its body fell to the floor with a dull thump. Sophie's eyes sparkled as she saw the results of her experiment.

"Not bad," a deep voice came from behind her.

Sophie turned around in shock and saw her father standing there with a kind smile on his face.

"I figured that my daughter would be spending some time in the training field," Duke Peterlor spoke gently.

"I could tell that you've been in a bad mood since Cleo left this morning."

"Dad… I'm not…" Sophie began to argue but was silenced by the look in her father's eyes.

"Fine… okay… I miss her. I know that it's the right thing to do to let her go back to university, but I want her to stay here with me," Sophie confessed sadly.

"I know that I am being selfish…"

Duke Peterlor opened his arms and gave his daughter a warm hug. 

He knew that what Sophie needed now was not someone to lecture her but rather someone to lend a shoulder.

"Do you want me to schedule an appointment with Doctor Reynolds tomorrow?" Duke Peterlor asked softly.