The wind howled as Naruto's ten clones, each cloaked in the shimmering six-tails of power, surged forward, charging at Arachne with everything they had. The battle was a frantic dance of motion—Naruto and his team against the monstrous being before them. Her spider legs, long and sinuous, scraped against the crumbling buildings like jagged, metallic claws, while her dark webs sprawled across the landscape like an ever-tightening net, cutting off any hope of escape.
With a flash of light, Piximon, ever the swift and elusive figure, zipped through the air, his tiny form shooting bolts of lightning to disrupt Arachne's movements. The crackling electricity struck the dark webbing and Arachne's limbs, but she hardly seemed affected, her expression full of amusement as she flicked her wrist, deflecting the attacks with ease.
Raikomaru, roaring with power, slammed his lion's fists into the ground, sending shockwaves of energy in all directions. His Lion King Fist crackled through the air, attempting to shatter Arachne's defenses. But the demon spider was no fool. Her dark eyes glinted with mockery as she flicked a strand of webbing toward him, trapping his arm and yanking him into the air with terrifying speed.
"Is this all you've got?" Arachne's voice was a silky whisper, barely above the sound of the wind. She moved with such grace, it was as if she were gliding through the air rather than walking. Her dark, malicious gaze settled on the group, and she smiled, revealing rows of sharp teeth that gleamed in the dim light. "How quaint. How utterly adorable."
Naruto's eyes burned with determination as he watched his clones spring into action. Four of them split off to form a distance, firing elemental attacks with precision—wind slashed through the air like a razor's edge, fire rained down in searing bursts, water shot in high-pressure jets, and earth rose in jagged spires, all aimed at the same target. One clone, hands glowing with chakra, began shooting beams of pure energy, each one aimed at the vulnerable points in Arachne's defense. The remaining four charged straight into the fray, using chakra-enhanced limbs to attack, swinging with the force of a hundred punches.
"Take that, you overgrown spider!" one of the clones shouted, a blur of motion as it launched itself toward Arachne, only to be met with the gleam of her dark sword.
Arachne didn't flinch. With a twist of her wrist, she sliced through the clone's chakra-enhanced arm like it was paper. The clone's body crumpled as its form disintegrated into smoke.
"I see," Arachne purred, eyes glowing with a terrifying light as she easily dodged the wind, fire, and earth attacks. "You've been practicing. How… adorable. But ultimately pointless." Her laughter rang out across the battlefield, harsh and mocking. "You children play with your little tricks, but I've seen it all. Every move, every tactic. How terribly predictable."
Before the clone could react, Arachne lashed out with one of her many spider limbs. It moved with such speed that it was almost invisible, striking the clone's leg and twisting it into an impossible angle. The clone's body was captured instantly in a cocoon of webbing, and with a cruel smile, Arachne tossed it aside, as if discarding an old toy.
Naruto's heart clenched as he saw this. His clones—strong, enhanced, and fast—were nothing more than playthings to her. With a swift movement, he sent another clone to join in close combat. But Arachne was faster. She slashed out with her dark blade, cutting through the clone's body with a casual flick of her wrist.
"Pathetic," she muttered, her eyes flicking to the remaining clones as they charged forward. "Do you honestly think I'm impressed by this?"
Before Naruto could react, one of the clones, attempting to close the gap between them, was caught by a web that shot out like a whip. The clone was jerked backward, crashing into a building with a sickening thud before being quickly wrapped in webbing. Arachne flicked her wrist again, sending a dozen more webs to wrap around the struggling clone, completely immobilizing it.
Raikomaru roared as he struggled to break free from another of Arachne's webs. His powerful claws raked through the sticky strands, but with each attempt, more webbing piled onto him. He let out a pained growl as his body was pulled higher into the air, the webs constricting around his limbs.
"Raikomaru!" Piximon cried, darting toward the lion. But he was too slow. Arachne's blade moved in a blur, cutting through the air and striking Piximon's wing before he could reach his friend. Piximon cried out in pain, and in an instant, his wing was gone—severed clean off. He tumbled through the air, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow.
"Is this all you are?" Arachne mocked, her voice dripping with disdain. She seemed completely unconcerned by the carnage unfolding around her. "A few pathetic insects pretending to be heroes."
MagnaAngemon, who had been controlling his holy swords from a distance, immediately reacted. With a flash of light, the swords tore through the air, slashing toward Arachne in a barrage of holy energy. But she simply raised her hand, her dark blade glowing with an ominous energy. She met the swords head-on, her weapon clashing against each one, deflecting them with casual ease. A sudden flick of her wrist, and the holy blades were snapped in half, their light dimming.
"This is getting tiresome," Arachne sighed, her voice carrying a note of boredom. "You truly thought you could defeat me with such feeble tricks?"
Naruto's expression hardened as he saw the situation spiraling out of control. His clones were falling one by one, and Arachne's power was far beyond their reach. The walls of the city, once standing tall, now lay in ruins, and still, Arachne showed no sign of slowing.
Arachne stood tall and terrible, a dark immortal of malice and webs, her eight spider limbs twitching with anticipation. Her blade, soaked in Naruto's blood, pulsed with cursed energy that suppressed even the healing powers of the Six-Tails' cloak. The battlefield was cracked and scorched, trembling under the pressure of monstrous power.
Naruto, still standing, bloodied and panting, narrowed his eyes at her. The spear in his hand trembled with residual energy, but his strength was fading. The cloak flickered. He couldn't heal fast enough.
"Your friends are insects," Arachne said smoothly, her voice like silk soaked in venom. She ran her tongue over the edge of her cursed blade. "But you… you're a slightly larger morsel. I think I'll eat you first."
Naruto's response was to rush her again, his spear cloaked in crackling storm chakra—lightning danced along its edge, and the wind howled with each step he took. His aim was clean, his stance steady, but every time the spear met her sword, sparks flew—and he was forced back. She didn't budge. He felt her strength in every clash, like hammer meeting glass. His spear cut, his lightning paralyzed, but her body was too tough. It was like fighting a mountain covered in blades.
"Predictable," she whispered, her smile widening. One of her spider limbs slashed toward him, but Naruto extended his chakra limbs from the ground, wrapping around it like serpents. "Persistent little ape."
Just as she yanked free, Piximon darted through the sky and hurled a bolt of divine lightning at her back. Raikomaru roared and launched a golden lion-shaped beam of chakra. MagnaAngemon swung his gleaming Excalibur in a wide arc, unleashing a sweeping holy wave toward Arachne.
But Arachne spun in place, threads bursting from her limbs. Her webs—dark, cursed, and razor-sharp—whipped through the air. Slash! Piximon's lightning was grounded, Raikomaru's lion was torn apart mid-charge, and Magna's holy slash split and dissipated before reaching her.
Then she struck.
With a speed that belied her size, Arachne lunged forward, plunging her cursed black blade into Naruto's abdomen.
"Agh—!" he gasped, coughing blood.
The cloak trembled, tried to seal the wound, but the blade pulsed again—and the healing was frozen.
"I told you," Arachne purred, "you were the appetizer."
Naruto could barely move. Pain exploded in every nerve. He fell to one knee, but his hand clenched around the spear's haft.
Behind a rubble of broken stone, a single clone crouched low, hidden by a veil of debris and misdirection.
He watched. Waited.
And then, he acted.
The clone called out in a whisper, urgent and low: "Now. It's time. Channel everything."
Piximon floated closer and thrust his hand onto the clone's back. Lightning crackled and flowed into the clone's body—and into the spear he now held. The weapon shimmered, glowing blue and white.
MagnaAngemon stepped forward, his armor gleaming. "Let the light purge the shadow," he intoned, placing his palm on the clone's shoulder. Holy light poured into the spear like molten gold.
Raikomaru, panting but alive, pushed forward and let his chakra flow. "Burn it down."
The spear—already crackling with divine and elemental energy—shuddered as it absorbed more power than it was ever meant to hold. It glowed like a sun pressed into a single point.
Meanwhile, Naruto stood his ground.
Or rather, his body remained upright through sheer will, held up by the cloak and his stubborn refusal to fall.
One by one, more clones appeared around him—each transformed to resemble his friends. Piximon, Raikomaru, Magna. They moved clumsily, wounded, pretending to drag Naruto away.
Arachne tilted her head. "What now? Parlor tricks? You've grown weaker."
Her eye—gleaming with purple corruption—locked onto Naruto.
He froze.
It was not a genjutsu. Not a jutsu. It was her Eye of Paralysis, and it wasn't bound by human logic.
His muscles locked up. His vision swam. The cursed wound throbbed.
Then—snap! Her spider maw opened wide.
Rows of needle-like teeth dripped with venom, each one promising pain beyond imagining.
"I think I'll start with your arms," she said sweetly. And she bit.
The cloak screamed, the chakra surged—but one arm was torn off cleanly.
Naruto didn't cry out.
He didn't move.
He waited.
Arachne's tongue flicked out, tasting blood. She blinked once—just once—as a ripple of strange energy passed through the cloak inside her.
Then her eyes widened.
"…What…?"
Her mouth opened to speak, but the chakra from the arm she had swallowed burst outward like a living flame.
The Six-Tail Cloak erupted violently inside her mouth, tendrils of wild chakra coiling like serpents. It was not trying to kill her.
It was trying to hold her.
Bind her.
Just for a second.
Outside, the real Naruto's eyes gleamed. He had one moment.
"NOW!"
The clone, standing atop a ruined spire, hurled the spear.
The air ignited.
The spear tore through sky and sound, a blazing lance of destruction. Lightning ripped around it. Holy light surged ahead of it. Chakra screamed from within it.
Even Arachne's webs, spread wide to shield her, burned away before the spear touched them.
She turned to move.
Too late.
The cloak's grip on her from within her own body held just long enough.
She saw the burning light approach.
"…No—"
The spear struck.
And everything exploded.
The sky turned white. The ground cracked for miles. The webs were incinerated in midair. Arachne's scream was drowned out by the howling storm of divine, elemental fury. Her limbs flailed, her sword shattered, and her body was hurled through three buildings before crashing into the earth in a crater of molten glass.
Smoke rose.
The clone vanished with a satisfied breath.
Naruto stood there, panting, blood pouring from the ragged wound where his arm had been. But his eyes did not leave the crater.
And for the first time in the battle…
Arachne was silent.
---------------
The silence after the blast was unnatural—thick and choking, as if the world itself were waiting to see if it had truly ended. The battlefield was a wasteland now, scorched and broken, the very air heavy with the stench of ozone, burned silk, and blood. Naruto remained still, trembling, the cloak flickering weakly around him like a dying flame. The others gathered slowly, cautious, injured, but alive.
Then the ground cracked.
A thick black ichor oozed from the crevice. The earth groaned, and from the shattered crater, Arachne rose once more.
Her once-graceful form was a ruined mockery of its former glory. Her obsidian armor was cracked in several places. Three of her spider limbs were missing, torn off entirely by the impact. One of her eyes flickered erratically, and a gaping hole—clean and still smoldering—had been pierced straight through her torso. Her webbed robes had been reduced to tattered strands, and her silver hair was stained dark with ash and blood.
But still, she stood.
And smiled.
At first.
She lifted one hand delicately, brushing debris from her shoulder with a pretense of elegance. "Well," she said softly, her voice still that cold, honeyed silk. "You… almost made me sweat."
Naruto watched her closely. His eyes narrowed. She was bleeding. Badly. Her regenerative powers were slowing down.
Piximon floated nearer, crackling weakly. MagnaAngemon raised his sword in silence. Raikomaru let out a low growl.
But then—Arachne twitched.
Her jaw clenched. Her brow furrowed. The calm mask cracked.
Then it shattered.
"You filthy, low-born, mud-dwelling maggots!!" she screamed, her voice warped and feral now, echoing with unfiltered hate. Her entire body shook—not from pain, but from rage.
"How dare you?" she shrieked, baring her fangs, eyes wide with a crazed fury. "How dare you defile my perfect form with your mongrel chakra!? I am divinity spun from fate and blood! You don't even deserve to look at me!"
Her calm composure vanished like smoke. She stumbled forward, snarling, every step leaking ichor that hissed against the earth. "I'll peel your skins and wear them like trophies. I'll drain your marrow drop by drop and weave your screams into my next masterpiece!"
Raikomaru steadied himself. "You're hurt, monster. You're done."
Arachne's eye twitched. "I am eternal."
"You're bleeding out," MagnaAngemon said calmly, though his grip on Excalibur was tense. "And you've lost your legs. Even immortals fall."
"Shut up!" she hissed, and spider silk launched from her remaining limbs—but it sputtered halfway, torn by the residual energy still hanging in the air. "You think this is over? That I'd die to a glorified torch?!"
She turned her glare on Naruto, who met her gaze evenly, still panting. Blood stained his teeth, and his arm was gone, but his eyes never wavered.
"You were saying something about eating me?" he rasped, voice hoarse but laced with defiance. "Guess that plan backfired."
Arachne bared her teeth. "You think this changes anything?" she growled. "You think this means you've won?"
Naruto smirked through the pain. "No. But it means we can hurt you."
Arachne's mouth twisted into something between a snarl and a grin. "I underestimated you. That won't happen again."
Her body jerked suddenly. Threads of black began knitting around her torso as she began to cocoon herself.
Naruto's eyes widened. "She's trying to regenerate again—!"
"I will be reborn," she hissed. "And when I am, your end will not be swift. You'll watch as I turn your friends into silk puppets and—"
"Magna!" Naruto shouted.
MagnaAngemon was already moving.
Light erupted from Excalibur again—no sweeping slash, just a single, focused piercing strike, straight for her exposed chest.
But Arachne roared and slammed a burst of cursed web into the ground, throwing up a dome of hardened silk. The sword bit deep—but not enough.
"I'll see you soon," she said, voice lowering as the cocoon hardened, pulsing with a foul, regenerating energy.
----------
The ground trembled beneath their feet as the last remnants of Arachne's cursed power began to warp the very atmosphere. The air became thick, heavy with the weight of darkness that spread like ink from a well of nightmares. Arachne, cocooned in her silk tomb, was not idle. She was weaving something far darker, far more dangerous than they had seen yet.
As the last strands of her webbed form hardened into something solid, a vast pulse of dark energy erupted from the cocoon. It spread outward in an expanding wave, black as the void, swallowing light, sound, and hope. The battlefield became nothing more than a twisting realm of endless night—a Dark World.
"No one can escape," Arachne's voice echoed out from the heart of the darkness, a mocking laugh cutting through the air. "Run, little insects, if you can. I will hunt you down. You will never escape my reach. I will feast on you one by one until nothing remains."
The ground beneath Naruto and his team began to crack, swallowing up bits of earth and debris. The very air grew cold, colder than the icy touch of death itself. It felt as if something hungry and insidious was creeping from the shadows, waiting to sink its claws into them.
Arachne's mocking voice grew louder, her words curling into the very hearts of her enemies. "Do you feel it? The abyss? It will consume you. Every step you take will lead you closer to your end. You cannot win. You can only survive… for now."
Naruto gritted his teeth, sweat dripping down his brow as he tried to push back against the wave of despair that Arachne's Dark World created. But it was impossible. The darkness had a tangible weight to it, and it gnawed at their resolve, biting at their hope. His own chakra reserves were running dangerously low. His cloak was fading, flickering with every attempt to hold onto it.
MagnaAngemon, who had de-evolved back into his weaker form, Patamon, clung to Raikomaru's side. His tiny form was trembling with exhaustion. Even the power of the Six-Tails Cloak, which had once been a beacon of hope, was beginning to fizzle out. Raikomaru growled under his breath, the chakra within his body flickering weakly.
Piximon hovered in the air, his tiny form moving back and forth as he attempted to break through the dark barrier, only to be repelled by an invisible force. The darkness of Arachne's attack wasn't something that could be cut through. The poison that filled the air was potent, but the overwhelming weight of the magic felt like something much more insidious.
"We... we can't beat her…" Raikomaru muttered through gritted teeth, his eyes scanning the swirling dark void around them. His tail lashed, frustrated at the sense of helplessness that gripped him. "She's too powerful. We're too weak."
Piximon's voice came in a strained whisper. "We can't fight this darkness, not like this. It's draining us."
Naruto stood tall, though his legs felt heavy with exhaustion. He looked around at his team, his heart sinking. This wasn't just a fight they could win through strength alone. They had underestimated Arachne, and now they were paying for it.
"You're right," Naruto said, his voice barely above a whisper. He felt his remaining chakra flickering like a dying ember. "We've got no chance like this. We can't even get close to her."
"But if we can't beat her…" Micahel said weakly, his voice barely audible in the dark. "Then what are we supposed to do?"
Naruto's eyes hardened. He knew what they had to do. They had no other choice. If they stayed here, they would die—slowly, painfully, at the hands of a monster who was playing with them like toys.
He turned to Piximon. "We need to retreat. Now."