Two days had passed since the whole spider bus encounter during which Issei had returned to the tower early in the morning to let his friends sleep.

And... he was already starting to regret doing this. The gnawing sense of dread that had been growing in his stomach now threatened to overwhelm him with each step deeper into the tower. The darkness seemed to close in around him, and the air felt heavier, like it was pressing down on his chest.

"You know, partner... we could always come back another day," Ddraig's voice suddenly broke the silence, startling Issei enough to make him let out a sharp yelp.

"Jesus, Ddraig!" Issei hissed, his heart racing as he took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves.

"What?" the dragon asked, sounding entirely too innocent, which only made Issei narrow his eyes in irritation.

"You know exactly what you did," he muttered, still recovering from the shock. He walked toward the edge of a gaping hole in the ground, peering down into the abyss before picking up a small stone and dropping it into the darkness. "You've been quiet for half an hour, then out of nowhere, you start talking again!" Issei growled, the sound of the pebble falling and eventually disappearing into the void only heightening his tension.

"You're really going through with this?" Ddraig inquired, his voice now softer, more serious.

Issei nodded grimly as he watched the darkness below. "Yeah," he muttered. "I don't think we have a choice anymore." He frowned. "Especially if we want that ring it's to much of a risk to leave it behind." He added quietly before pulling out a set of earphones he'd managed to scrounge from a ruined shop and plugged them into an old MP3 player.

He scrolled through the list of songs before stopping at the one he wanted and after some hesitation, he smiled and tapped the play button before stepping off of the edge as the song "dream on" by Aerosmith began to blast in his ears.

"There are other ways we can get to the bottom you know!" Ddraig yelled within his mind.

"I know! But this was the fastest and most direct route to the bottom!" He replied. "How could I not take it?!?" He exclaimed cheerfully as he fell deeper and deeper into the dark pits.

30 minutes later...

The wind whistled in his ears as he fell deeper into the abyss, the darkness swallowing him whole. His heart raced, but the music blasting in his ears kept him grounded, the familiar lyrics helping him push back the growing sense of unease.

With a sudden jolt, he landed on something solid. The impact sent a small cloud of dust spiraling up around him as he let out a soft groan before he reached up and pulled out his earphones to let the silence settle in.

He winced as he rubbed his legs, "Okay, maybe not the best idea..." He muttered quietly to himself as he took in a few deep breaths through his nose.

The air down here was different-stale and damp, with a faint odor of rot that made his nose wrinkle. He glanced around, eyes adjusting to the gloom. Massive cobwebs clung to the walls, swaying slightly in the draft. His instincts screamed at him to be on guard.

"Nice place," Ddraig said dryly. "Are we looking for a ring or planning to remodel a haunted house?"

Issei huffed, brushing off the dust from his pants as he moved forward cautiously. "If I start hearing creepy whispers, I'm out of here."

As he stepped further into the chamber, the webs became thicker, clumping together like grotesque tapestries. His skin crawled as his fingers brushed against one of the strands. Sticky. Tough. "This is not giving me good vibes..." he muttered, glancing up at the web-filled ceiling.

Then he heard it-a faint chittering sound, followed by the scrape of something moving. Slowly. Deliberately.

Issei froze, his heart pounding in his ears. He strained to listen as the noise grew louder, more distinct. His fingers twitched, ready to summon his weapon. "Uh... Ddraig?"

The dragon's voice was tense now. "Yeah, I hear it too."

The chittering stopped for a moment, leaving the chamber eerily silent. Then, something massive shifted in the shadows above. A gust of foul-smelling wind swept through the chamber, ruffling Issei's hair and sending the cobwebs trembling like ghostly fingers.

Acting on instinct, Issei summoned his sword, the blade glinting faintly in the dim light. He took a cautious step back, eyes darting upwards, and then... he saw it.

Eight glowing red eyes blinked down at him from the darkness, unblinking, and all focused on him. He barely had time to register what he was seeing before the creature scuttled into view, its massive body covered in a thick, mottled carapace that gleamed wetly in the faint light. Long, spindly legs stretched out from its sides, clicking as they moved with terrifying precision.

And then, as if to make the whole situation worse, a pair of grotesque, bat-like wings unfurled from its back with a sickening crackle.

Issei felt his stomach drop. His jaw hung open in disbelief. "Oh, come on! A flying spider?! Really?!"

He snapped his fingers, conjuring a massive ball of flame in his left hand, the light casting long, jittery shadows across the web-covered walls.

He heard Ddraig snort in amusement. "Well, you did say you wanted this to be fast and direct."

Issei groaned in frustration. "Not helping!" he muttered angrily as his eyes locked on the monstrous arachnid as it began to creep closer, the wings twitching as if ready to pounce. He could feel the tension coiling in his chest as the creature hissed, its mouthparts clicking in anticipation.

"God! You are even uglier up close!" Issei grimaced as he pointed his sword at the winged spider.

"Hey! Fuck you! I didn't going insulting you when you got here with that Yee Yee ass hair cut! You little shit."

Issei blinked.

He blinked again.

"I'm sorry. What?"

"You heard me, you little shit or are you deaf? You little shit?" The giant spider spoke again in a distinctive but very thick Transylvanian accent.

"Do you truly believe that your tiny toothpick sword will protect you? Do you not know who I am!? You little shit." The massive spider continued as Issei tried his hardest not to laugh, Why did this remind him of something?

The same couldn't be said for Ddraig, who was laughing loudly within his head, his laughter sounding like a dying chipmunk who inhaled to much helium.

Unbeknownst to what was going on within Issei bit his lip, desperately holding back laughter while Ddraig's bellowing echoed in his head, sounding more like a dying chipmunk on helium.

Meanwhile, the spider continued its monologue, completely unaware of the internal chaos it was causing.

"I am the ancient!" Lightning cracked from... somewhere. "I am the land," it growled, narrowing all eight eyes at Issei. "I am the lord of darkness eternal!"

Issei's shoulders shook, barely containing himself. This is insane, he thought, how am I supposed to take this seriously?

Ddraig wheezed with laughter. "I can't... I can't breathe!"

"I could crush you with barely a tarsus, you little shit!" The spider raised one of its legs menacingly. "Intruding on my domain... I could rip your spine out with my eyes closed and my legs tied behind my- BLEHHH!"

Fwoosh! The spider screamed as flames engulfed its entire figure.

Issei blew on his fingers, his smirk widening. "Sorry, did I interrupt your villain speech?" He was certain that the spider would have glared at him had it not been flailing around in a desperate attempt to extinguish itself.

Eventually the flames began to flicker and die, revealing the spider now covered in smoldering patches of singed hair. It hissed angrily, its eyes narrowing as it glared at Issei. "You think this is a game? You dare disrespect me in my own domain, you little shit?!"

"Disrespect?" Issei raised an eyebrow, brandishing his sword. "I think you've confused me with someone who cares. Now, where's the Ring of Inuro? I'm not in the mood to play hide and seek with a giant spider."

The creature let out a shrill screech, its wings flaring wide in a display of rage. "You will pay for your insolence! I will feast on your bones and then take the ring from your shattered corpse!"

Issei rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, keep talking. Just tell me where the ring is, and I'll make it quick for you." He flicked his sword, a trail of flame igniting along the blade.

The spider lunged forward, but Issei was faster. He dodged to the side, his instincts kicking in as he parried one of its massive legs. The blade connected with a sickening crunch, and the spider shrieked, retracting its limb.

"Time to end this," Issei declared, determination flooding his veins as he prepared to unleash a powerful attack. He concentrated, feeling the energy building within him. "Ignition!"

With a surge of power, he unleashed a fiery torrent from his sword, aimed directly at the spider's face. The creature recoiled, its eyes wide with fear as the flames engulfed it once more, the heat searing its hide.

But as the fire subsided, the spider stood its ground, smoke curling off its body. "Fool! You think your flames can defeat me? I am immortal in this realm!"

"Immortal, huh? I'll take that as a challenge!" Issei shouted with a maniac grin on his face, adrenaline pumping throughout his body. He charged forward, swinging his sword again. The spider barely managed to block the blow with its legs, but Issei's strength pushed through, sending it tumbling backward.

It skidded across the ground, the force of the impact shaking the dust from the ceiling. The ground trembled, and Issei took advantage of the moment, sprinting past the spider toward a large stone pedestal at the back of the chamber. His heart raced as he spotted a faint golden glow emanating from a small alcove on the pedestal-The Ring of Inuro.

"Yes! There it is!" he exclaimed, nearly breathless with excitement. But just as he reached out for it, the spider roared back to its feet, anger blazing in its eyes.

"You will not claim that treasure, you little shit!" it screeched, lunging toward him again, its mouthparts snapping viciously.

Issei dove to the side, narrowly avoiding its deadly fangs. "I'm really not in the mood for this!" he growled as he rolled to his feet. He could feel the heat of the spider's breath on his back, urging him to act quickly.

Determined, he summoned a burst of flame once more, focusing it into a concentrated fireball. "Let's see if you're as tough as you think!" He hurled the fireball directly at the spider's eyes.

The creature howled in agony as the flames exploded against its face. Issei seized the opportunity, dashing toward the pedestal. With a deep breath, he reached for The Ring of Inuro. It felt cool against his palm as he slipped it onto his finger.

A familiar surge of power coursed through him, filling his body with a sense of warmth and strength. He could feel his connection to the ring, its ancient magic intertwining and merging with his own. The energy surged, igniting a brilliant golden light around him that began to alter his clothes.

The spider scuttled backwards in shock, "No... you can't be him. You little shit." It muttered as recognition began to seep into its eyes. "Not with that Yee Yee ass hair cut."

Issei frowned, 'Does this spider ever shut up!'

"You can't be him! You have no rizz! Your just a beta and a cuck! You can't be Ifrit: The Rizzen One! You can't even rizz Livvy Dunne into showing her GYATT!" It screeched as Issei stared, frozen in shock at what he just heard before...

Blegggh!!!

"What the fuck?!?" Ddraig practically screeched within his mind. "How da fuq did this monstrosity get affected by brain rot?!?!"

"I don't know and quite frankly, I'm too scared to ask so I'm just gonna kill it."

"Yes, you do that." Ddraig muttered before he cut their mental link.

...

"Well... that got dark really fast." Issei muttered as he cleaned of his sword with some of the spider silk he gathered from the Spiders remained.

"So what are you going to do with the spiders venom?"

"I don't know... maybe take it back to Rias or Sona?" Issei replied with a shrug, "They're can probably figure out what to use it for."

"Use what for, dear?"

Issei froze before slowly turning around to see the annoyed faces of Yoruichi, Kiba and Leone staring at him.

"O-oh... h-hey guys. Did you sleep well?" Issei stuttered as he began to step back nervously, scared of what his friends would do to him.

"We did until we realised that our favourite pillow was missing!" Yoruichi exclaimed, while Leone glared at him disapprovingly.

"Something tells me that I'm going to pay later." Issei muttered before he noticed the wicked grin that grew on Yoruichi's face.

"Who says you won't pay now?"

'Oh fuck me!' Issei thought in shock, "I need an adult!" He screamed as he stared at his best friend, Kiba for help.

"Sorry but you brought this on yourself." Kiba muttered to him before turning to leave. "I'll see you guys back at the motorhome!"
_______________________________________________
Okay so... it's been a while since I've last updated this story and I think I've lost a bit of my touch when it comes down to writing this, as much as it pains me to admit. Even the writing style has changed. Seeing as how it's the Spooky month, I thought I'd try a more humorous but scary chapter which admittedly I do think I've failed at... badly.

So anyway, to list of my plans for upcoming projects: the prologue to the reboot of my old story - MHA:Heroic Decade - Kamen Rider/MHA crossover that was exclusive to Wattpad but the reboot will be brought over to AO3, the prologue for my Spider-Man/Young Justice crossover which I do hope people will enjoy, the second chapter to Marvel: Heroic Academia and finally the next chapter for Star Wars: Galactic Avengers.

I do hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope you have a lovely Halloween everyone and yes I do know its a bit early to say that but I just want to be on the safe side in case I forget to upload a chapter on Halloween.