RinoZ
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Chapter 1702 - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
🕑 Added 2025-10-22 01:00:03 +0000 UTCI’m sure they expected me to retaliate, but I’m not sure they expected something like this.
My chomp sucks in the gathered dust, eliminating the cloud and revealing the scrambling delvers in front of me. They’ve got a bit of space, and a shield up by the looks of things. Hopefully, it’ll be enough.
BOOM!
The forming sphere of light shatters between my jaws and the explosion sends a shockwave rolling outwards.
And, for a change, I’m totally fine! My eyes don’t explode, my carapace doesn’t get damaged, nothing happens!
Well, not to me.
Maybe I can deploy the empowered version without getting hurt! That will be a change of pace.
Fire rolls outwards and the delvers cry out in fear as they fall back. Light strikes at my back as the others try to distract me, pull my attention away from the vulnerable members. As if that’s going to work. You think I’m some sort of mindless monster? I’m going to attack the person who attacked me last? Get real!
My regeneration network is really kicking into gear now, winding up faster and faster, sending healing fluid roaring through my system. I have to give the delvers a bit of credit, they are doing a bit of damage. My carapace is incredibly tough and they aren’t close to getting through it, but little chips here and there are still happening, especially around my joints.
However, it simply doesn’t matter.
With so much regeneration fluid flooding my system, those small nicks are healed exceptionally fast. My HP is completely full, my carapace is effectively undamaged, and I’m not even tired. I was wondering what Granin was on about when he asked about my fatigue after I told him about the incident with Tiny, so I’m being mindful of my stamina, but it’s just not going down.
With so much Will pouring into me, it’s almost impossible for me to get tired, even if I wanted to. There are millions of ants in range, literally millions. I can do this all day.
Stalking forwards, I examine the aftermath of my chomp and find the delvers managed to survive, but they aren’t in great shape. Their shield wasn’t enough to protect them and they were knocked down by the blast, but they aren’t out of the fight completely. Even as I loom over them, they try to recover, flipping back onto their feet and dashing away, taking the more heavily injured members with them.
I let them go. They can’t get away from me, and something else has taken my attention for the time being. I know I said I wouldn’t get distracted, but what the heck is going on over there?
With the dust cloud gone, I can see more clearly, and nestled between two stalagmites is a small group of three delvers who don’t seem to be attacking like the others, so I’d ignored them up to this point. Yet, they’re suspiciously blank to my other senses. No mana is leaking through at all, which means they must be hiding it for some reason.
In fact, as I look closer and reach out with my mana sense, I can make out the layers of wards they’ve placed around themselves. Not a few either, there must be… a dozen?!
Why?!
Unaware that I’m looking straight at them, the three delvers are concentrating, pooling their mana into some sort of spell that I don’t recognise. I can’t sense the mana at all, naturally, but why the heck are they doing this right out in the open? I can see you! Why go through the trouble of hiding every trace of your presence but perform the spell where I can see you?!
Maybe these delvers aren’t as professional as I thought….
As nice as it would be to let them finish whatever they have planned, I think I might intervene before they launch a death laser to cut me in half or something.
Blows continue to rain down on me, but they just aren’t enough to crack through my carapace or outpace the runaway freight train of my regeneration. Under the manipulations of my upgunned minds, the omni-elemental construct spins and churns, pumping out dense water mana which I swiftly weave into a jet of water.
Whatever they were planning on doing, it appears as though it’s difficult to accomplish while being subjected to a water cannon. Knocked down and struggling, the spell fizzles out as the groups continue to try and catch my attention, striking at my back and flanks with a sudden frenzy.
Yeesh. Lay off already. My regeneration network is going absolutely crazy! They weren’t kidding when they said the regeneration gland would only continue to ramp up. It’s not stopping, it’s only getting stronger and stronger! Are there limits on this thing? I’m starting to feel pressurised from the inside!
Alright, enough playing around. This has been fun, but I can’t hang around here all day. I’ve got things to be doing, and more delvers to hunt for.
With a flex of my will, an empowered gravity domain is unleashed, expanding outwards rapidly to crush everything caught within its grip. In an instant, the fighting is over. No more spells, no more sword slashes, only face-planted delvers trying to breath through a foot of solid rock.
Gweheheh.
I can’t say it ever gets tiring, looking at them squirm….
I whip together a mind-bridge so I can force it on them and gloa-I mean, talk to them, but something catches my eye first.
Even better hidden than the delvers hiding behind the rocks, even more concealed than Enid’s retirement savings, there is something over there catching the light. Marching closer, I realise it’s a person, smushed into the rock and struggling to free themselves, just like the others, but for some reason they are completely invisible to almost all of my senses. In the hubbub of the fight, I must have lost track of their gravitational field as well.
So sneaky!
What I find really interesting, though… what really seizes my interest… is the lovely Church of the Path robes the figure is wearing.
I snap the bridge into place.
[I’ve just been dying to talk to one of you.]
The priest seems… less enthused.
Comments
MUXIBA azarado
Their were one of the last weeks in witch you were doing 1 or 2 updates a day, i dont know the cause but it was nice. I love chrisalys.
blucube 14
Thanks for the chapter!
Hamish Gamma
He didn’t directly use it on them it was just the shockwave plus they had shield that protected them from some of the dmg
mach laaw
Honestly when I saw the title for chapter 1700 I was hoping the Queen was making an appearance again and had maybe come to reign in Antony ,to prevent him from doing too much but it just turned out to be Chyron ...
CentaureHeart
Thanks for the chapter! Would be nice to get a status at some point RinoZ, for the name of the evolution and also the skills that ranked up! :)
Kris Piskorski
how the hell did they survive starcrusher
TheLostGolem
Better plan. Make them listen to Ben's sermons.
Twin
Show the adventurers how essence juice is made. The priest just volinteered
Ruwa
Oh that priest is screwed
Anthony Romanov
Depending on if you don't get bored of healing.
Pockman
Question: how many limbs does someone need to be interrogated?
NyxWell
FOR THE COLONY. DEATH TO THE PRIESTS OF THE PATH. SACK THEIR CITIES, BURN THEIR CROPS. FARM THEIR EXPERIENCE!!!!!!
Isiah Debarros
He got turned to food
Tommy Gallery
Anyone wondering if Jim is still alive and getting tortured? This guy deserves the Jim treatment for sure.
Anthony Romanov
Give Priest to Brilliant! Let her try Experience Extraction on the Church Guy!
MUXIBA azarado
Dude, you have a lot of hate... It is understandeble. But Antony is to umpredictibe.
Buck
Yes! Anthony finally gets his mandibles on a Church of the Path priest. Interrogate him and then subject him to the same ritual they subjected the captured ant in Silver City to.
andwhyisit
The colony has no use for slaves. Better an ant if you want a job done right.
alt31415
From the looks of it, the priests were using their usual heavy wards to avoid all detection. The implication is that the Unsullied Crystal eyes see right through their attempts at hiding, so to Anthony they were just 'out in the open'.
alt31415
Ah, so that's what the 'see only the truth' eyes mean, no invisibility hacks!
guvvuf
The Unsullied Crystal is putting in work, it seems
Bethany Bluebird
Man I feel so spoiled with all the chappies <3 especially since I'm sick and cannot do shit
UNKNOWN
That's Dark Anthony talking.... BEGONE FIEND.
Wensber
Thanks for the chapter!
Scott Faulkner
hunting the Colony that's a Thwacking. fighting the Eldest (even though he challenged you) that's a Thwacking. priest of the church of the path (BOOOO) oh ouch that's a mighty big THWACKING.
UNKNOWN
Are these sacrificial pawns to test his capabilities and limits? As blind as the priests are, I don't think they're this dumb.
bob
Make them slaves ! Make them slaves!
Azgaroth
Thank for the chapter. I wonder, will we see Mother have some choice words (and some THWACK...) for Anthony, about playing with the Human or something similar??? Also about the Legion’s Transformation Program, what are the chance that Solant nudged Brilliant, to replicate it (but with the addition of a Core insertion....), so they can boost the Human fighting with the Colony??? (voluntary only, of course...)
Codered999
It probably isn't a real danger, but it will be super uncomfortable when he's forced to vomit it out to relieve pressure.
Collector of Stories
Thanks for the chapter! I’m curious if the regen liquid is actually dangerous to him in large quantities or if it’s just Anthony being Anthony. Death by regeneration is probably a first in the dungeon.
Ibuks5
Cliffy, my old nemesis!! With that deep dark void hanging and creeping ever closer, so sneaky! I'll be ready next time
Codered999
Alir, but I doubt it'll be him, seems premature to capture him specifically this soon.
Gabus Deux
Anthony: Literally! Haha! It feels like im dying with this FISH HOOK IN MY GUTS"
Black Rose
Tftc
Yeslek Nnamhctits
Its nice to see dark anthony getting his excercise, but like on a leash.
Hayden Leech
Please be the guy. Aliz or whatever. First priest captured lol
shawn B
Murder them!!!!
Marter
This is going to be good
Val
Work it, make it Do it, makes us Harder, better Faster, stronger
Earl Roberts
Ahhh its getting so good I hope we see Dark Anthony again soon
Aaron Schwartz
Solant: Anthony, what is best in life. Anthony: to crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentation of di wimmen!!
