Prime Originator

"Hellbiters!" Leon's pupils shrank at the conspicuous red stripes on the spiders' backs before he warned, "Be careful not to get bitten. These little critters will give you a taste of hell if you are bitten!"

"Dammit, we've been up here for a while now. So why do these spiders only appear now of all times?" a Battle Master wondered as he retreated a step before slicing the red-stripe spider in front of him in half. 

At the same time, similar questions were on everyone's minds as they sent flurries of sharp attacks at the red-stripe spiders and diced them into countless pieces. 

"These demonic spiders are quite weak… So there's no need to be so agitated over them. More importantly, we may have exposed ourselves to the demons below," Chief Baskara mentioned with a frown. 

Hearing that much, Leon knew that the Crimsonfog Tribesmen were unfamiliar with the Hellbiters. 

"Don't underestimate them!" Aria warned. 

"Hellbiters are not strong, but their venoms are very vicious and excruciatingly painful to endure that you would wish you are dead! Leon wasn't kidding when he said they would give you a taste of hell if you get bitten."

The One-Eyed Venerable Shaman and the other Battle Masters' expressions quickly turned solemn after hearing Aria's explanation. 

As if they had yet to understand the severity of a Hellbiter's bite, Leon further explained, "Hellbiters' venoms attack the nerves and have you begging for death seven days straight if left untreated."

"At the end of the seventh day, even if you survive the torturous experience of the Hellbiter's bite, you will be disabled and braindead, incapable of movements and thoughts. It truly is a fate worse than death!"

"For real?!" 

The Crimsonfog Tribesmen were greatly shocked before they increased their efforts to slay the Hellbiters, keeping them from even coming close. 

Leon's words have given them a great scare.

Spirit Eyes!

Leon activated his ocular technique and expanded his divine sense simultaneously before searching the treetops and discovering several openings near the top, where the Hellbiters were pouring out.

"These Hellbiters are coming out the trees," Leon informed the group. 

The One-Eyed Venerable Shaman quickly narrowed his eyes before speculating, "The tomb's entrance might have spurred them into being."

"If we weren't here, these Hellbiters might have gone to block the tomb entrance and stop the tomb challengers from escaping."

Shortly after, the group heard demons shouting below.

"There are lots of noises coming from the branches! Go check it out!"

"Yes, my Lord!"

Several Lesser Demons answered after a Greater Demon gave the order before Leon and the One-Eyed Venerable Shaman's group were alerted. 

"We've been discovered," Chief Baskara frowned before barking, "It's going to be troublesome facing both the demons and the Hellbiters, but we have no choice. Prepare for battle!"

"No, cut the spider webs! We can drop the Hellbiters on the demons and force their attention on the Hellbiters," Leon quickly suggested. 

Not even demons are immune to a Hellbiter's bite.

"But would the demons and demonic spiders fight each other?" a Battle Master questioned with doubt, but he did exactly as Leon suggested and cut several strings of webs in a short breath.

Dozens of Hellbiters dropped out trees, and from dozens, it quickly increased to hundreds in a matter of few short breaths as the rest of Crimsonfog Tribesmen followed up.

At the same time, the Lesser Demons quickly noticed something falling out of the trees as they were leaping up, causing them to grab the black objects subconsciously and check what they were. 

"What is this? So it was just spiders—"

Without understanding the danger of Hellbiters, one of the Lesser Demons was careless and got itself bitten before it was assaulted viciously by the Hellbiter's venom.

AHHH—!

The Lesser Demon quickly fell from the lower branches as it screamed with excruciating pain, spurring the other Lesser Demons to toss the Hellbiters in their hands away and retreating to the ground with alarm. 

"Oi, stop messing around and get up!" the Greater Demon urged the Lesser Demon with a kick, but the Lesser Demon could not stop rolling on the ground in pain.

As Chief Baskara and the others witnessed the Lesser Demon's agony, they drew in a sharp breath to relieve their tensed nerves while a few trembled like Darlene.

"The Hellbiter's bite is no joke!" Chief Baskara said gravely. 

While Leon had expected such results, he still frowned at the Lesser Demon groveling on the ground in pain. 

The effect of the Hellbiter's venom reacted too quickly! 

In that instance, Leon quickly understood that the Hellbiters' venom must have undergone some mutation or transformation to become even more potent. 

"A Demon King-level Tomb sure is dangerous…"

…

…

…

After entering the Abyssal Wood Demon King's tomb, the advance party of demons quickly found themselves separated and lost in a maze full of vines, bristles, and thorns.

"Lord Limopith, we are completely lost. We can't find the path ahead, and we can't find our way back either!" a Lesser Demon informed. 

Scaly-Tailed Limopith frowned. 

Whether it was intentional or not, the three Greater Demons of the Nine Great Clans were all separated with their own group of cannon fodders.

"Hmph, if there's no path ahead, then make one!"

"We've already tried! But these walls are too tough! Our attacks are completely ineffective against them!" the Lesser Demon replied helplessly.

Scaly-Tailed Limopith was displeased by the Lesser Demon's answer before he snorted, "Hmph, useless thing! Step aside! I will do it!"

After shoving the Lesser Demons out of the way, Scaly-Tailed Limopith swung his scaly tail at the wall of vines ahead!

Ping!

The wall of vines shook from the impact of the blow and rippled like waves before a rebounding force sent Scaly-Tailed Limopith flying back into a wall of bristles. 

"Lord Limopith!" 

"Get lost! I don't need your help getting up!"

The Lesser Demons' help was quickly rejected as Scaly-Tailed Limopith swatted their hands away before standing up with a dark frown. 

Ahhh…!

Suddenly, a Lesser Demon's agonizing yet distant scream was heard, seemingly coming from outside the tomb.

"What was that?"

"Don't know. Not like we can find out."

No one could leave the maze.