Chrysalis

Chapter 987: The Third Goes to Hell pt 3

Looking at all the demons slumped on the ground around me, it’s a good feeling. A dangerous feeling!

The dark one is stirring… I can feel his hunger!

Yes! Kneel before me, you worms! Gweheheheheh! Hack! No… I must resist! I cannot allow the light to fall into the shadows. Not today, Dark Anthony! Your time will come, but it shall not be now!

I manage to push the glee I feel at seeing these weaker demons forced into the stone by my gravity domain to one side. There are tier seven monsters lurking about and I can’t be taking them lightly. No matter how powerful I think I am, I need to remember that they’re the same level of evolution as me.

Behind me, my comrades are going absolutely berserk. With the support of my twenty bodyguards adding to the chaos, the three of them are able to munch through huge numbers of monsters without being in much danger.

Protectant, Guardian and the rest are obsessed with remaining in the shadows to the point that they’d erase their existence entirely if they found a way to manage it and still hang around annoying me.

After seeing the Mythic evolution options and how crazy they got, I’m half worried that they’ll all choose to turn into some sort of energy parasite and attach themselves to me. Or something even weirder, that only exists in the minds of those who wish me harm.

Shudder.

They would do it too. Like, they wouldn’t even hesitate. Maybe I need to rethink whether I should push them to level up…. Some are tier six already, after all!

I know I can’t, though. If even one of them dies on the job, then I’ll never forgive myself. Forget bodyguards. I spend more time worrying about their well-being than I do my own.

Wait. WAS THAT THE PLAN ALL ALONG!?

Oooo that’s clever. Seriously clever, dammit! I’ll need to find out which of the Council came up with this idea. I’ll congratulate them on the brilliant idea, right before I thwack them into oblivion.

All right, where are these demons… I’ve got a lot of anger to work out now.

With the domain active, draining away at my gravity mana and altar respectively, I can walk through the horde almost totally unimpeded. Some of the stronger demons can still move, though slowly. Even if they can reach me, the effort it takes to stretch an arm to hit me makes their attacks totally ineffective. A few brighter sparks start firing spells at me, but my battery of mind-constructs rip the more serious ones to pieces before they can threaten me. My efforts to beef up my defence through evolutions and Skills has brought me to this point, and experiencing the results, I have to say I’ve done a bang-up job.

Moving through the crowd of monsters in this way, it’s easy for me to find the tier sevens, and when I do, I start to wonder if I’ve bitten off more than I can chew.

There are three of them, and they look like a rather intimidating trio. First, there’s a big chunky boy, reminiscent of Grokus, though not the same sort of demon. Huge, flabby, and with a slavering, tooth-lined maw. The second is at least a type I recognise, a War Demon. Huge, powerfully muscled, with barbs and blades aplenty for engaging in its chosen obsession. Those types are intimidating beasts, to say the least. Last is clearly a mage type, lithe, with four arms and a surprisingly eyeless head, the monster looks like it means business.

In their enraged state, the three don’t waste any time on pleasantries and rush toward me. Immediately, I can feel the difference between these and the other demons. The Fatty and War demon burst into my domain and barely slow down as they reach out to crush my insect legs.

Naive! You think I can’t sense these moves coming?

My attackers grasp nothing but air as I react with preternatural speed. I slide to one side and lash out with my mandibles, employing my most devastating bite attack.

VOID CHOMP!

The two monsters are sucked into the centre of the strike zone before suffering the devastating power of the manifested mandibles. These two aren’t as weak as the other trash around here. Big and tough, they can take a hit or two.

Zzzzap!

Taking advantage of me being stationary during the Void Chomp, a blast of magic flies through the air and bites into my carapace. Ouch! That sizzles a bit, was that a form of laser magic? Some sort of concentrated light?

Thankfully, my carapace is thick and tough, so whatever they did wasn’t able to puncture through it. I knew they’d hit me, but I was surprised they were able to throw out a spell potent enough that I couldn’t tear it apart. That mage-type might be the strongest of the three….

“ROOAAAAR!” the War demon bellows in my face and I immediately have to reassess that opinion as the giant creature takes massive swipes, looking to take my head off.

Jeez. Even though I evolved, these guys are still an impressive size. I mean, it doesn’t help that I’m so much longer than I am tall, meaning the War demon towers over me, despite being a similar mass. I guess I’ll just have to bite your kneecaps off!

VOID CHOMP!

Another devastating bite, unleashed just after I narrowly dodge a dangerous strike.

CRUNCH!

The War demon definitely feels it, but this attack alone isn’t enough to take powerful demons like these out of the picture.

Zzzzap!

Argh! Again! I was more ready for it that time. The beam moves so quickly, I have hardly any time to take it apart before it lances into me. Going to have to shift to another strategy.

Kicking my sub-brains into overdrive, I spin together an omni-elemental construct and start to pump out concentrated ice-mana. It’s not at its best in this boiling hot environment, but if I condense it enough, it’ll do the job. I know for a fact that demons hate the stuff.

The larger demon continually bellows in rage as it barrels towards me, gnashing at the air with its prohibitively sized jaws. I’m convinced the creature is just too damn slow to be a serious threat at this point, but of course it surprises me the exact second I start to dismiss it as a threat.

My antennae tingle with warning and I throw myself to the side in a graceless roll, flailing along the ground as something blasts past me.

What the heck was that!?

I right myself in a hurry, only to find the War demon positioned in front of me, ready to strike.

No you don’t!

Dash! In fact, Charge!

Rather than move to the side, I rush full forward, slamming my carapace into the demon’s legs and avoiding the worst of the strike. In the corner of my eye I can see what the Fatty had shot at me with such blinding speed. It was a tongue!

He’d shot it out like a frog and was now in the process of winding it back in. Disgusting! Even worse, I can see he’s got more of the things in that maw. Who the heck needs more than one tongue?!

Mana at the ready, I unleash a blizzard of ice spears at the mage and Fatty as I untangle myself from the closest opponent. I didn’t quite manage to knock the War demon down, but it was close.

These guys are a little tougher than I expected. I suppose I’ll have to get serious as well!