Chrysalis Chapter 1710 - Fun in the Tunnels

[Oho! You almost had me there!]

[Wow! That was a valiant effort!]

[You'll make it one day, champ! I have faith in you!]

[If you had fully believed in yourself, you might have actually caught me. Use that as motivation for next time!]

I don't think I'll ever grow weary of messing with these delvers. Just watch them dance! Look at them wail in pure despair as I snatch them up into the air!

Gweheheheheh.

My submarine-style scouting has paid off with yet another ambush, and I have to admit, they really stepped up their game this time. Perhaps the rising count of missing delvers has made them a bit twitchy, but they seem far more willing to go to extremes to take me down now.

This particular assault began with two doom spheres hurled my way. Composed of fire, they resembled miniature suns; the temperatures were so incredibly scorching that my antennae were singeing from hundreds of meters away. Caught slightly off guard, I managed to retaliate with two gravity bombs, though they were so weak I had to empower them to ensure they functioned correctly.

Kicking off the battle with two massive explosive collisions between fire and gravity was certainly a dramatic way to start. I suspect the delvers were hoping for a more favorable result from their opening salvo, but they charged out of their concealment and followed through regardless.

Things spiraled downward for them quite quickly after that.

[Oh no! My carapace is damaged! Aaaand it’s already fixed. Dang, would you look at that.]

To be honest, with such a large number of delvers attacking simultaneously, the healing network accelerates very, very fast. My entire body feels icy right now due to the sheer volume of regeneration fluid surging through me. A few of these delvers must be heavy hitters, as they actually manage to inflict some damage—gouging chunks out of my carapace and denting my legs—but I regenerate so fast it simply doesn't matter.

Mocking them for their failure also grants me a profound sense of satisfaction.

[The next person to attack me gets lifted into the sky!]

There is a momentary pause as they all hesitate, but they soon conquer their fear and resume the assault. I can't actually distinguish exactly who struck, so I just select one I deem a likely culprit.

[Up you go!]

Yelping in terror and shock, my victim is hoisted up and left dangling in midair, flailing helplessly. Suspending mages doesn't accomplish much since they can continue to hurl spells at me, but for the physical combat types, they truly struggle when they can't find footing. They possess so much speed and power, yet none of it is accessible when their little feet are wiggling in the air!

Despite my overwhelming and constantly increasing regeneration, I am still doing my utmost to avoid taking any critical hits. My antennae are buzzing incessantly and I react faster than I can consciously think—dodging, shifting my stance, parrying with my mandibles, and processing hundreds of sensory inputs every second to respond appropriately.

Maintaining this requires an immense amount of mental and physical stamina. Forcing this massive body to leap and pivot is no easy task. My legs and muscles have been enhanced through my evolution, making them strong enough, but it remains a significant demand.

I'm lucky my tendons are mutated; otherwise, I would probably collapse on the floor like a puppet with its strings severed right now.

[Alright, playtime is over.]

After weaving the Gravity Domain together throughout the fight, I empower and release it. I watch with satisfaction as it surges through the tunnel, expanding at an absurd velocity and pinning everything caught in its wake to the ground.

Interestingly, I can sense a few pockets of space resisting my mana, attempting to withstand the overwhelming tide of gravitational energy. Now that there are virtually no spells or strikes raining down on me, I am free to stroll over and take a look at what is happening.

Oho? Another priest? Priests! There are some serious anti-magic techniques being utilized here. Two small clusters of delvers remain standing as the priests, aided by some mages, manage to keep the domain from completely swallowing them.

It is impressive, certainly, but the effort is clearly taking a massive toll. They are sweating profusely and shaking physically from the strain, which means they lack the energy to actually fight back as I draw near.

[You might as well just lie down,] I suggest to them. [Resistance is… only going to make her angry.]

Refusing to answer, the small group of priests and mages holds on stubbornly, unwilling to yield anything to a monster like me.

Well, that works for me.

[Alright, Crinis. They're all yours.]

If they don't want to deal with me, they can face the darkness instead. She has been accompanying me on my recent excursions into the tunnels. With some assistance from the nameless, she has been able to track down and transport any delvers I capture, making the whole process much smoother. Within moments, the shadows swallow every member of this group, and then I am moving on. Legs up, gravity well activated, submarine mode engaged!

I have been spending the majority of every day out here doing this, and for some reason, the delvers just keep coming. That previous group was the fifth I’ve crushed, and the battles haven't even been close. Truly, they have been blinded by their own greed.

It’s almost a disappointment, but then again, that was precisely my plan.

Cruising around a bit longer, something catches my attention as I round a bend in the tunnel. Reaching a junction that splits into three separate paths, I glance toward the wall and spot neat rows of tents and stacked crates.

A delver camp? Have we already pushed out this far?

Or perhaps they were simply established much closer to the nest than I realized? Consulting my tunnel map, they are surprisingly close to what could be considered the outer perimeter of the nest. I imagine the Colony’s timid behavior emboldened them to the point they felt safe here.

What a foolish idea. Based on the look of things, they vacated the area quite recently. Perhaps they sensed me fighting that last group and decided to bolt. That means there is currently a large crowd of delvers sprinting through the tunnels trying to retreat to Green Mountain…

Well now…

The chase is on!