18- The Battle with Siegfried
Buguese fired at the grey spider, having little other options. However, it seemed the spider wasn't even singed.
"Annoying creature!" he yelled, grasping his sword tighter in irritation.
"We should try and lure it away," Aqune whispered. "Fighting by the stairs is dangerous." She jumped over the spider, to the other side.
The grey spider, taking notice of this, slashed at Aqune with one it its front legs. Aqune blocked the attack with her sword, attempting to push it away.
Seeing that it was distracted, Buguese fired a couple shots, then moved out of the way as well. Naturally, the shots did nothing against it, and it continued trying to crush Aqune's sword.
"Shockwave!" Aqune yelled, her sword picking up a strong charge. The creature wasn't expecting this, and stumbled backwards. Buguese took the opportunity to lunge at it, trying to impale it with his sword. Flesh was cut, but it seemed to do nothing but get the spider more annoyed. With the sword still stuck in its body, the grey spider jumped at Aqune, pushing her into a wall.
Buguese leapt on top of it, successfully pulling out his blade. However, the spider quickly knocked him off. At least it wasn't very far to fall.
Aqune rose, only to realize she was cornered by the spider now. She swung her charged sword at it once more, but this time, it was prepared, and jumped to avoid the blast.
Buguese ran to Aqune's side. This was going quite badly, but at the very least, he wanted to ensure her safety.
"Nothing is working…" Aqune said.
"We need more power," Buguese replied. "Perhaps, if we try attacking it at once…" he wasn't really sure if that would work, though.
"You're not going to try anything," Siegfried said, looking furious. He was able to approach them unnoticed, with the distraction of the battle. "How dare you?! How dare you ruin my plan?!"
"I am the one with a right to be angry," Buguese replied, readying his sword for an attack. However, the grey spider then struck both Aqune and Buguese with a single blow from its leg. They were pushed backward, crashing into the wall.
Both realized they were in a very tough position, as it instantly moved in for another attack. But the attack stopped, and the spider fell, amidst a cloud of smoke.
"Hunter!" Aqune exclaimed, seeing the other Spider Riders there. It seemed, they had attacked it. And not only that, but fragments of a metal band were left on the ground near the defeated spider.
"Looks like we made it just in time," Hunter said.
"The Spider Riders?!" Siegfried yelled, enraged. "They made it here?" He of course noticed Richter in the crowds. "And even you came, boy? You've truly disgraced yourself, allying with the likes of them."
"They are not my allies!" Richter yelled, running towards Siegfried and throwing down his sword. Siegfried caught the sword in his hands, which now dripped with blood as he refused to let go. "I'm only cooperating with them to ensure your inevitable defeat!" He tried to pull the sword back, but his father had a tight grip.
Corona approached Aqune and Buguese.
"Listen, Aqune," she said. "You have to return to the Inner World as soon as possible. Because, without your light, it could be destroyed."
Worriedly, the purple-haired girl put a hand over her mouth. She hadn't considered that yet.
"But how can I?"
"We can use Richter's transporter," replied Corona. Though, she noticed Richter looked pretty occupied.
Hunter ran up to the red-head.
"Richter, I'll help," he said. "Give us the transporter."
He scowled. "I'm busy!"
"We need to send Aqune back!" Hunter shouted. Using his pike, he pushed Siegfried away, who released his grip on the sword as a result.
"Fine!" Richter yelled, throwing the black box hard onto the ground. Magma picked it up, bringing it over to where the others were gathered.
As for Richter, he was running towards Siegfried to make another attack.
"Alright!" Siegfried growled, as he barely evaded the strike. "I've enhanced spiders, Insectors, but never a human. Now is the time!" He snapped a silver bracelet onto his own wrist. Light came around him. Siegfried moaned, as pain pulsated through him. But then, it all came to a calm. He took a breath.
Hunter and Richter watched him in shock. But then Siegfried threw his fist out, knocking Richter into Hunter. Both fell to the ground.
"Hunter!" Corona shouted. Hunter got up first, swinging his weapon. But Siegfried caught it in his un-injured hand, and threw Hunter!
"I… I have to help him," Corona said. "Someone, use that switch. Hurry and go back."
"Yeah, I understand," said Magma, who was still holding it. Seeing a red button, he pushed it. Then all but Hunter, Corona and Richter were surrounded by light. They vanished from the scene.
"Good," Corona sighed, seeing they were gone. She looked to Hunter, who was getting up from the ground, groaning. Needing to concentrate, Corona aimed her arrow at Siegfried. He didn't seem to notice her, being busy stomping on Richter's body.
"You should never have betrayed me, boy!" Siegfried shouted. "You'll pay with your life, I promise you that!" But then, Corona's arrow hit him in the head. Cringing, Siegfried stepped backward, giving Richter the chance to stand.
Richter was panting, a vicious anger in his eyes.
"How did he become so strong?! Is there nothing I can do?!"
Magma and the others re-emerged in the forest area where they had first transported. The skies above the Inner World were turning dark, like they had once before.
"No…" Aqune said. "I caused this?"
"It wasn't your fault," Sparkle said.
"Kyu..." The girl had already released Hotarla back out from the manacle.
Aqune clasped her hands together. Soon, a golden aura grew around her. Almost immediately, the light in the sky began to grow stronger. "That should work." Despite this, she didn't seem fully calm. "Now… I hope Hunter and Corona will be alright."
"Of course they will be," replied Buguese. "Hunter Steele did defeat Mantid somehow, who had the power of all four Oracle Keys."
"And now, Hunter has the Oracle Keys!" said Magma, excited.
"Don't give up yet!" Hunter called to Richter. He moved in for another attack, which was regretfully blocked easily.
Corona was the next to try, but Siegfried rammed her to the wall.
"He might even be stronger than Buguese was…" Corona said. "These enhancements are insane."
"We could try and destroy the bracelet," Hunter said, though he was immediately kicked aside.
"You're foolish to think you can destroy anything!" Siegfried said. "Richter, you were very right. There's absolutely nothing any of you can do but die a bloody death! No matter what, the Inner World will be mine. Even if I have to kill every Spider Rider to have it!"
Richter clenched his fists.
"I don't think so! Wave, Spider Out!"
Hunter and Corona ran in, each attempting to make another attack. Watching their movements carefully, Richter pointed to Wave. The spider shot out a web, which wrapped around Siegfried's leg, pulling him to the ground. Then Richter reached into the man's pocket, as he struggled to break the thread, pulling out the switch.
"Father…" he said, a cruel grin on his face. "There's still one way I can win. By taking this and leaving now, you won't get to return to your precious Inner World. At least not until you build another, which is, I recall, very difficult."
Then, Richter pressed the button, and disappeared along with his spider.
"No way!" Hunter shouted, shocked.
"Then, our way back is also…" Corona began.
"No!" Siegfried yelled. "Nooooo!" He punched at the wall, ignoring the two Spider Riders. A hole was created in the process.
"We have a battle to finish," Hunter called. He couldn't let anything else bother him at this point. "And we will defeat you."
Richter was the next to re-emerge in the Inner World. However, he went to a location further away from the other Spider Riders, not really wanting to see them again.
The boy knelt on the ground, pounding his fists to the dirt in frustration.
"Sir…" Wave said, looking at his partner with concern.
"I beat him, but… I didn't really. Even with the help of those other Spider Riders, I couldn't defeat that monster at all!"
Crashing erupted, as Siegfried began ripping apart the entire wall in anger.
"I don't want to deal with you any longer, you worthless Spider Riders!" Grabbing a section of the wall in his hands, he thrust it at Hunter and Corona. Both Riders fired attacks, in order to break it before they were hit.
"Hunter…" Corona said, when the smoke cleared. "Siegfried, he left."
"He couldn't have gotten far," Hunter replied.