Chrysalis



Honestly, even I'm impressed by the spell I've created. The Gravity Well is as dense and packed full of mana as I can make it, emptying out what was left in my gravity mana gland, as well as whatever I could gather and push through the construct.

Every drop of energy that had gathered in the Altar was also sucked into it the moment I opted to empower it. The new mutation gives even more power to gravity spells, really kicking the effect up a notch.

The end result is a pillar of pure darkness, crushing the three heralds with a truly mind-boggling amount of force.

All I can really do is stand and watch….

Unlike the gravity bomb, there isn't a need to fear for my life, since the strength and force of the well is controlled by me, but it isn't like I can just throw stuff into it willy-nilly either. Goodness knows what would happen if I tried… certainly not me since I've never tested.

[How's it going in there?] I decide to fish for a mind bridge connection, but I don't find one, so instead I just broadcast toward the pit in which the demons are currently being flattened.

I don't get a response… so I assume they aren't feeling as talkative as they were a minute ago. I can still sense them in there, though, so I know they're still alive.

I have a worrying feeling that even this isn't going to be enough. My mind-constructs feel limp, as if they're all slumped over a table with their faces buried in lukewarm, microwaved curry, but I kick them back into action.

Stupid my-own-brains, we can rest later! Besides, all of your fatigue is being washed away by the pure energies of the Colony, and all the other weirdos who wound up in the Nave. Time to stop feeling sorry for myself and start pumping out more mana!

With so many ants around, even the Altar is refilling with power at a steady rate.

I quietly amass power and mana while I wait. Watching this happen is kind of cool, but also… sort of boring? It's not like the Gravity Bomb where the wind is howling and everything is going nuts…. The pillar of darkness just… stands there… and the demons are stuck at the bottom of it, being squished by the force.

After a while, I let my legs splay out and rest my carapace on the ground, idly triggering a fresh wave from the regeneration gland to patch me up. I've noticed the repairs from the fluid released by the gland take a lot longer to fix up my new carapace when compared to the old one. Presumably, the issue is with density. Thankfully, I have some mutations on the plating to help pick up the slack, but I may need to look at other solutions.

[Come on now…. How are things?] I broadcast again.

No response.

[Arconidem is a butt!]

[YOU DA- Arrrrrgh!]

Oho! Still kicking in there, just not enjoying himself very much. I almost feel sorry for the three of them, or I would if they hadn't come so close to turning me into Biomass.

[I put everything I had into that spell. You'll be lucky to make it out.]

[But when I do, you are FINISHED!]

[I guess we'll find out….]

Yup, all three of them are still kicking. I'm impressed. Also… when the heck is this spell going to end? Surely soon….

I better work a little harder gathering mana.

As I do, I decide to pick myself up and skitter a little closer to the pillar in order to get a better sense of the demons. The closer I get, the more the gravity sense in my antennae goes absolutely bonkers, which is a bit distracting, but I manage to channel it out.

All around, the thousands upon thousands of demons and ants watch from a safe distance, barely moving as they wait for the result.

I feel a little self conscious.

Probably, somewhere out there, a damned ant is already working on a prototype sculpture to capture the moment.

"No statues, dammit!" I roar with my pheromones, but there's nobody close enough to smell it.

Oh, the spell is ending. I can see it flickering a little at the edges. Over the next twenty seconds, the force of the spell drains away and visibility returns. As the last vestiges of the spell fade away, I tense, but I sense no movement from the three demons.

After another few seconds, I step forward and peer down into the hole created by the well.

About ten metres below me, atop a packed and super compressed surface of rock, the three demons glare up at me… from their positions wedged into the stone.

[You good?]

More glares.

They don't look all that good. The three of them may have survived, but not by much. I have to give it to them, they've been significantly tougher than I expected them to be. Good for them.

[Alright then, here comes round two!]

Well, the first spell lasted long enough that I've managed to put together another one. It isn't quite as dense, and I don't have the same oomph from the Altar, but it should do the job.

For funsies, I invert the direction of the force and extend the pillar all the way to the ceiling of the stratum.

After a few moments, the three demons are yanked from their sconces on the floor and then whipped upward with truly shocking speed until they slam into the roof.

[You have slain level 601 Unique Monster 'Torrifex']

[You have slain level 615 Unique Monster 'Somonax']

[You have slain level 628 Unique Monster 'Pyrixan']

[You have gained XP.]

[You have reached level… ]

[You have reached level… ]

[You have reached level… ]

[You have reached level… ]

[You have reached level… ]

Ahhhh. Precious levels. Haven't had such a rush of these in quite a long time. And three unique monsters? Even more delicious.

[You have reached level… ]

[You have reached level… ]

[You have reached level… ]

[You have reached level… ]

[You have reached level… ]

[You have reached level… ]

But that's… seriously a lot of levels….