The spider girl licked her lips. Her purple hair fluttered as she dropped down to the ground. A thin thread of spider silk slowed her fall so she could land lightly on her feet without being noticed. She stood behind the two men in black with a blank expression.

“Master told us to take the tall girl out, but how are we supposed to get past this barrier array?” Man in black A asked.

“How am I supposed to know? Master keeps making us do these ridiculous jobs.” Man in black B replied. Neither noticed the spider girl standing openly behind them. 

“And who are you going to attack?” The spider girl asked, her voice as cold as ice.

The two men in black slowly looked at each other before turning their heads to see the spider girl standing there. “You! Your the Arachne! The Headhunter!” 

She was known as the head hunter because every one of her targets lost their heads to her threads. A mythic race that lived in the shadows and killed for money. She was feared by all sides. It did not matter if you were a demonic cultivator or a righteous cultivator. If you saw her, you knew your life was over. 

“Tell me, who are you here to kill?” The spider girl asked, her expression as blank as ever. She tilted her head to the side in a questioning gesture making the two men in black shiver from head to toe. They did not wish to die, so they could only answer her question. “A girl named Nana….”

“Oh…. So you want to take my prey?” This was new to her. Someone actually dared to try to take her prey. She would not stand for that. Her prey was something others could not even think of taking.

“We…. Our master’s name is Kuro, he told us to kill the Nana girl because she was in his way of the girl he has set his eyes on.” Man in black A spilled the beans. He had no choice. He had no idea when it happened, but both he and his partner were now strung up in spider webs. A thin line of spider silk was wrapped around their necks. If they did not speak, they would lose their heads for sure!

“Juro?” The spider girl tilted her head to the side again. She felt like she knew this name.

“It’s Kuro….” Man in black B replied.

“Ah….. He’s still alive? I tell you what.” The spider girl suddenly had an amazing idea. “I will let one of you live to tell your master that you are not allowed to touch my prey. Whether it be the Nana girl or the girl, he has his eyes on. They are mine. If he still wishes to get involved with them, then he will need to speak with my master. And you know my master is a bit temperamental and very protective of me. A single word from me, and he will destroy everything your Master has built up. Don’t think that we do not know what your master is planning because nothing is able to be hidden from the shadows. 

“But in order to give this message, one of you must be alive. I will let you both down. Between the two of you, whoever wins, gets to live. Please entertain me.”  The spider girl’s eyes flashed with a bit of excitement, but one had to look closely to see it, or they would have never known. 

The two men in black looked at one another with killing intent in their eyes. They might have grown up together and faced life and death together, but their lives were always number one. 

Seeing the two ready to fight, the spider girl separated them so that they could have a fair fight without sneak attacks. The two men in black were let free, but they did not attack the spider girl. No, they went straight for one another. They did not dare to attack the spider girl since it would only mean death. At least by fighting each other, one had a chance to live.

As the two men in black clashed, the spider girl took out a round transparent orb and held it in front of her. “Master, did you hear?”

“Mmm… Silvia, I have decided to change your mission. This time you will not be killing but protecting. Since Kuro wants one dead and has an interest in the other, I want you to get close to them and protect them. Whatever that bastard wants, I will be sure to take. He wants a life, I will protect it. He wants a woman, I will bring them under my wing. He is lucky I have not already destroyed everything he has worked so hard for. After all, the bigger you are, the harder the fall. I want to see him lose everything.” An old voice came from the transparent orb. 

“I will follow master’s orders…. But how am I supposed to get past the barrier array?” Silvia did not know how she was supposed to protect someone if she could not even get close to them.

“Don’t worry, an old friend is inside. They will be out to meet you in two days’ time. They will also teach you how to hide your appearance. Silvia, also take this time to see the world a little. This mission will be a long one. I will contact you once a month. If you need help, contact me. When it comes to Kuro, we need to be on guard at all times. But I will never allow him to get what he wants.” The old voice replied.

“I will do my best to protect the targets,” Silvia replied seriously. She knew her master hated Kuro to the bone. He had been waiting all these years to strike, waiting for Kuro to think he had all the power in the world before taking him down and making him suffer beyond anyone’s imagination.