Chrysalis Chapter 1756 - Invasion!

“We’re under attack!”

“Impossible!”

“The walls are cracking, you fool!”

Zullz yearned to devour the dimwit assigned to guard duty with him, yet evidently now wasn’t the moment for a nourishing bite.

He couldn’t fathom what had distracted the scouts enough to ignore an incoming raid on the Slimeground, though he wished them demise for their failure.

“Stay put and try to spot what’s going on,” he barked at his foolish partner, “I’ll head back to inform Sluthziss.”

However, as Zullz started to pivot, he noticed his companion had already climbed several meters into the tunnel.

“I’ll handle it!” the other shouted while disappearing into the shadows.

Zullz swore and ejected searing, bubbling acid onto the adjacent stone.

“Clever when it suits him,” he bubbled in rage. Upon returning to the Slimeground, he vowed to consume that idiot regardless of any punishment.

The walls trembled once again, nearly shaking Zullz from his perch. He secured his foot tighter against the surface and attempted to evaluate the situation. A massive entity was tearing apart the rock, likely pounding it to break it free. Might it be a stray beast from the passages? Certain monsters, detecting the Krath’s presence, would attempt to breach a Slimeground to feed on the slugs inside.

Yet, such beasts were typically redirected well before nearing a Krath colony. It was inconceivable that the scouts would neglect their roles so severely as to jeopardize their protected refuge from the tunnels. Could the ants have assaulted and eliminated the scouts? Every single one?

That idea held no logic either!

With fangs grinding and fury surging within, Zullz resolved he must probe further. Remaining stationary risked peril, whereas returning to the Krath’sizz empty-handed guaranteed execution.

As a seasoned slug, he followed standard safeguards, compressing his form, blending his hide for camouflage, and concealing his inner mana. Satisfied with his invisibility, the slug then slid down toward the Slimeground’s entry.

Crafted as a twisting corridor to block any scent from leaking out, the gateway aimed to thwart precisely such intrusions. Zullz proceeded with caution, as the surrounding stone fractured more swiftly the deeper he ventured.

At last, a portion directly beneath him collapsed, exposing the destruction’s scale. The intruder had already penetrated midway to the Slimeground!

A gigantic form extended upward, its terrifying maw slicing through the stone effortlessly just meters from Zullz’s features. Suppressing a gasp of alarm, he hastily withdrew up the tunnel, seeking a clearer view of the threat.

Clearly some kind of beast, but which? It resembled nothing from his knowledge, yet he recognized all tunnel dwellers. Perhaps a creature from deeper levels? Impossible without a wave!

Once more, the jaws sheared the rock, cleaving it like tender mushroom, compelling Zullz to retreat. Then came a halt. Wary, he pulled back a bit more.

Perfectly timed.

An enormous shape burst into sight and crashed into the barrier with tremendous power. The quakes nearly dislodged him entirely, his hold maintained by the slimmest margin.

The aggressor appeared only fleetingly, yet that sufficed for Zullz to recognize it.

An ant!

No ordinary ant, but the largest he’d ever encountered!

Armed with this insight, the Krath swiftly reversed course and fled at top speed. An ant incursion? In this place? It defied reason—how could they endure in the fifth layer, distant from their accursed blue mana?

Straining his foot to the utmost, he sped through the meandering, slim fissure until arriving at the Slimeground.

Troops had assembled, with the Krath’sizz, Suzzil, positioned at the forefront. A hulking female known for her quick fury even among Krath, she wasn’t someone Zullz relished bearing grim tidings to, yet options were scarce.

“It’s the ants!” he gurgled upon emerging through the portal and restoring his shape. “A huge… a massive ant is breaching the entrance. It’s aware of our location!”

“That can’t happen,” Suzzil hissed, her gaze sharpening on her stalks as she eyed the recovering Zullz on the floor. “Did you witness it personally?”

His gut feeling had served him well.

“Yes!” he affirmed. “A colossal ant, immense, maybe tier seven or eight, slicing the stone and battering toward us.”

“Only one?”

“A single one could suffice,” he replied, then regretted it instantly as the Krath’sizz fixed him with a furious stare, her wrath flaring.

“Do you think we’re incapable of vanquishing one ant?” she rasped, her hide starting to froth and sizzle from boiling acid.

“N-no doubt we can,” Zullz reassured her, “how could we fail? But others might lurk; I spotted only that one.”

Though a recent outpost, it brimmed with fighters. They’d thwarted the ants’ expansion efforts and conducted regular strikes on seized passages. The Krath’sizz’s assurance seemed justified.

For an extended instant, she observed him, but the intensifying tremors signaled the ant’s nearness.

“Ready the defense of the Slimeground,” she commanded sharply.