Tardium lowered his flamethrower and held the cylindrical device. He stared at Princess, who stood on the other side of the Arachna tide. The fog gradually crept in and concealed her figure, though her silhouette remained unforgettable.

The spiderlings stopped their movement. They ground their fangs and echoed creaking noises throughout the hall.

"Miss, allow me to propose a truce," Tardium said. "In my hand is a button of total destruction, so please reconsider your notion."

He tensed his body but couldn't stop shaking. His hand quivered to resist the urge to wipe the sweats on his face. Though the atmosphere was icy cold, he felt like he was getting boiled alive.

"Mucia, come stand beside me," he said.

Mucia stood so close to him that he could feel her the cold, smooth metallic skin. By standing beside him, she could intercept any assault.

"Tell me why I should trust your credibility," Princess said. "My babies here could easily ear you apart limbs by limbs. Why should I stop?"

The spiderlings screeched, eagerly waiting to rush in and prove Princess's words.

The tension intensified as the fog crept to the group. Without the Fog Repeller, it gradually covered Princess and pulled her into the realm of the unknown.

"Because you know what it could do," Tardium said. "You must have seen it in action before."

He clasped his hand and stayed on guard of the surrounding. As long as he held the device, he and his team would be safe.

"At least you are capable of forming basic coherent thoughts. Very well, dear humans. I'll let this slide for now."

Princess raised her hand before brushing it straight down. The spiderlings ceased their clicking noises and lowered themselves against the ground.

Tardium watched her display of authority, unable to conceal his awe. By manipulating Fons, she commanded an army of Arachna to follow her desire. It was the power wielded only by the most formidable of all.

"Miss, how about this?" Tardium said. "We'll pretend that the scavengers by a group of spiderlings. No one will learn about your existence."

Sweats dripped from his brows. Even he couldn't believe his words. He was talking to Princess about a truce between the Arachna and the Great Races, involving him flaming other humans to survive.

"Deactivate the android and delete all evidence of my existence," Princess said. "If you challenge my patience, I don't mind expending my army."

"We accept your condition." Tardium turned to Constrien, who nodded without any hesitation.

Tardium gestured for Mucia to remain still while he inputted a chain of commands. In a moment, Mucia entered the inactive mode. Though she could move in case of an emergency, she couldn't send or receive an order.

Once Tardium knew his team finally caught a break, he grew bold.

"We've done what you said. Please consider our truce."

After he finished his sentence, the temperature around him dropped below zero degree celsius. The fog flooded the room with its all-concealing paleness, moving in and dispersing after touching the radiance of the group's equipment.

"Angelica, you'll help me monitor these humans." Princess stared at the group. She had to maintain constant pressure on them while planning for her next move.

Despite her unstable condition, Angelica managed to stand up and held herself together. She had Princess supporting her with the spider legs as the support of her weight. One of her hands remained behind her back, holding a gun.

"How can you guarantee your promise? If any of you can remain by my side and serve me, I'll accept the deal," Princess said. Her voice was strangely friendly.

"Please don't joke too much. How could we abandon our friend?" Tardium said.

"If you're righteous, you should detonate the bomb. Killing a commander of the Arachna is a must. Anything less is a betrayal to The Empire."

"Our actions won't impact the overall situation. Instead of meaninglessly dying, we can leave unscratched. Your resource must be precious to you."

"You justify your betrayal instead of admitting your selfishness." Princess giggled, her voice stabbing their ears. "A lowly lifeform will always remain lowly."

Angelica shook her head, disappointed by the display of hypocrisy. Her action infuriated Tardium to no end. His face reddened like a volcano waiting to rupture in impressive wrath.

"How dare you lecture about ethic and honour? Your race destroys everything," he said. "If you're going to teach me, at least have the decency of following it first."

The thunderous shout startled Princess. Everything fell silent. In this excruciating minute, the group shivered and sweated. They stared at Tardium, their expression miserable. Cyania stopped her spell casting, her mouth unconsciously whispering a prayer to the God of Light.

"You're truly brainless." Princess revealed a smirk. "Angelica, take good care of the clip."

"You record our conversation?" Tardium said. His face turned pale.

If Princess leaked the record, The Empire would torture him and his family. Everyone related to him would die an ugly death, shamed by all who knew him.

"Shall we begin our negotiation?" Princess said. The spiderlings cried for her.

"The offer of truce is still in effect." Tardium gritted his teeth. "As long as you have the clip, we won't expose you."

As he couldn't change the past, he could only salvage the most out of it. He glanced at Cyania, who resumed her spell casting, before turning back to Princess. Because of the earlier incident, he found himself struggling to talk to her ever again.

The words she spoke reeked of wickedness and arrogance as one would expect from the evil nobility who viewed the commoners as worthless. She wasn't an ordinary Arachna. She was an authoritative figure at the top of her world, a princess of an empire.

"I don't think it's enough. The evidence is too weak for me to accept your unreliable promise," Princess said. "You humans are too despicable. My mind can't fathom the depth of your trickery."

Tardium could feel his veins bursting from his forehead. She accused him of trickery, but she tricked him into a corner. If he followed her suggestion, she would soon force him to accept death quietly and willingly.