Chrysalis Chapter 1730 - Monstrous Weight

The War Bishop positioned himself among his soldiers, standing side by side with the comrades he shared sleep, meals, training, and combat with. Not every one of them would make it through the day, yet that was the unavoidable cost, and each was prepared to shoulder it.

Sacrifice formed the very bricks and mortar building the base of the Path. This had remained true from the days of Ascension onward, and so it would endure until that era returned once more.

On the left and right flanks stood the warriors supplied by Green Mountain, commanded by the Marshals, while the Judgement Battalion anchored the virtuous core. United, they created an unbreakable and formidable barrier that the ant would have to breach if it sought triumph.

Without question, it would attempt to overwhelm them with the spell recounted by the captives, a crushing force that pinned them to the earth or hoisted them skyward, rendering them powerless. Graham wouldn't have led his followers into the Dungeon without countermeasures for such magic.

Provided they endured that force—which they ought to—the beast would face no option but direct confrontation. The horde it commanded might add some difficulty, but Graham felt assured his forces could handle the threat.

In the end, he had undergone training since boyhood to clash with monsters. Mere ants and humans stood little chance against him and his fellow warriors.

Near the Dungeon's mouth beneath Green Mountain city, the passage sprawled wide, exceeding a kilometer across and rising several hundred meters tall. It served as a perfect assembly point for a vast army venturing downward, yet also an excellent site for warfare.

The ants' need to advance from below granted Graham and his troops the edge of higher ground. Still, he doubted that advantage would prove substantial. To an ant, a ceiling merely acted as another surface to traverse.

As the enormous ant drew near, Graham sensed the fervent clarity of his belief ignite inside him, flaring ever more intensely with every moment. He realized his companions would experience the same surge, their Classes bound to their devotion, unleashing a strength surpassing the individual.

In the far distance, a shift occurred, making the nine thousand soldiers stiffen as the ant ascended into the sky, continuing its approach but no longer treading the floor. From that elevated position, it gazed down upon them with near-regal disdain.

If it chose to limit its own movement for dramatic effect, Graham raised no objection.

“Hold,” he cautioned his nearby allies, and they steadied themselves before relaying the order along the lines.

Revealing their strategy prematurely might drive the creature to escape, leaving no way to pursue it. They could only engage fully once it committed entirely.

Even at several kilometers distant, the ant halted its advance, though activity stirred somewhere below it.

They held their breath in anticipation as a solitary human form strode toward them, advancing fearlessly toward the assembled host while the ant loomed threateningly afar. As the newcomer neared, Graham discerned finer details. Cloaked in a hood with elongated projections sprouting from the head, the individual donned robes reminiscent of those worn by Path Priests. His face was ashen, framed by a brief, somewhat unkempt brown beard, rendering him unremarkable—save for his eyes.

Support creative writers by reading their stories on NovelBin, not stolen versions.

Those eyes glowed with manic intensity. With loyalty. With obsession. With Faith.

Graham recognized such gazes from his own reflections.

A ripple through the ranks allowed Alir to force his way forward, positioning himself beside Graham while the intruder remained two hundred meters off.

“That’s the heretic,” Alir whispered sharply. “Church agents report this fellow disseminates false doctrines and heresy wherever he travels. A bounty stands for his capture or death.”

The War Bishop inclined his head gradually to acknowledge.

“Th-that’s it? Aren’t you going to strike him down now?” Alir pressed.

“We ought to listen to his message first. Since he arrives alongside the ant, he’ll perish in the upcoming clash. I’ll ensure it happens.”

Heresy against the Path. An utterly heinous and irredeemable offense.

Graham faced the Grand Priest.

“Will you stay positioned at the forefront?” he asked.

Awaking to his spot, Alir startled and pivoted, shoving back toward the rear.

“Greetings!” a voice rang out, echoing massively through the tunnel with commanding power. Continuing his approach, the robed man lifted a hand. “I salute you in the Colony’s name!”

Something compelling laced that tone, pulling at the souls of all listeners. This was a master orator of high Level, exceptionally skilled in rhetoric and persuasion.

“Alert our allies. Ensure they block their ears to this man’s words,” he ordered, and a runner dashed off moments later to comply.

Judgement Battalion members had training against such influences, but he held no guarantees for the rest.

“Advance no further,” he commanded. “Deliver your words.”

The figure halted, then inclined in a bow, his antennae swaying as he straightened.

“I am Beyn Naligic. Formerly a Priest of the Path, I hold utmost admiration for the Judgement Battalion’s members.”

Pleasing phrases, yet tainted from a heretic’s lips. Graham tempered the holy flames stirring in his heart. The moment hadn’t arrived.

“We claim no regard from one who has strayed so deeply,” he countered. “Relay whatever your beastly overlords commanded, then depart.”

“I bow to no lord but the authentic faith!” the heretic proclaimed, his eyes alight with fervor. “The renewed Path unveiled to me via a profound miracle!”

The man ignited swiftly. In mere phrases, his voice thundered against the tunnel’s rock walls.

“YES. THE GREAT ONE HAS SPOKEN TO ME AND DECREED THAT I, BEYN, PASS ON THEIR WONDROUS WORDS! YOU HAVE BEEN EXTENDED GRACE BY THE GREAT ONE!

“SURRENDER YOURSELVES, AND YOU WILL BE SPARED GREAT PAIN! RESIST, AND YOUR LIVES CANNOT BE GUARANTEED!”

With that, the former Priest regained composure, his chest rising and falling from zealous exertion.

“What is your response?” he croaked.

Graham shook his head. This soul had descended into lunacy.

“Surrender is not an option.”

Beyn dipped his head in regret.

“I suspected as much. Then, I bear additional tidings for you.”

Afar, the massive ant pivoted gradually in the air, turning its back to the forces.

“The Great One requests that you kindly avoid death.”

Having spoken, the heretic wheeled about, hiked his robe’s edge, and dashed off into the passage.

“SHIELDS!” Graham roared.