RinoZ
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Chapter 1155 - The Adoring Crowd
🕑 Added 2023-05-02 12:37:05 +0000 UTCI don’t even need to look to know where we’ve landed. Before sight returns to my eyes, I heave a sigh of relief.
Through my Vestibule, a torrent of energy floods in. The Nave hums with power and soon enough, the Altar begins to rapidly fill. That’s not all. My fatigue washes away, my acid and regeneration gland replenish at absurd speed, allowing me to trigger another wave of healing and my body thrums with vigour.
That crazy little ant actually pulled it off. She told me she was getting close to mastering dimensional travel, that the Colony would soon have gates, but her ability to pop in and out of places was growing stronger all the time.
Before, she was able to take me along with her, but now she can bring along a few more for the ride.
Tiny, Invidia, Crinis and Al have all made it back safely through the dimensional jump. We’ve arrived back at the top of the third stratum, between two cities held by the Colony. Safety.
Of course, us five weren’t the only ones Brilliant managed to bring back.
Not far away, Torrifex, Somonax and Pyrixan stand enraged and confused. I can’t blame them for that, being whipped through dimensions is more than a little unnerving. Disorienting doesn’t really cover it either. If I were to describe it, I’d say it’s kind of like having your brain pulled inside out and then snapped back the right way. It’s going to take them a moment to recover, and I’m glad for it. I need to get some HP back.
Of course, I’ll be able to fire the regeneration gland every minute or so considering how many ants are around. There are millions of them, and they aren’t even that far away.
In fact, there’s several hundred thousand arrayed all around us.
As I pull in energy as fast as I can, the ants waste no time in making their presence felt. I’m too far away to hear the command be issued, but in short order the sky is filled with a barrage of acid quite unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.
In a wide circle, thousands and thousands of ants lift their abdomens, take aim, and fire. Huge jets of concentrated formic acid rise into the air, hang for a moment, before they begin to descend. I wouldn’t describe it as a rain of acid necessarily, or even a deluge. It’s more like the sky became acid, and then fell.
Before the demons can orient themselves, megalitres of formic acid crash down on their heads, obscuring them from sight. Quickly followed by the second barrage, then the third.
If they had enough in the tank, the Colony could probably produce an ocean of the stuff here and now, but sadly the scouts who specialise in this sort of long range bombardment can’t keep it up for long. After the fifth shot, they’re out of juice and the place the demons had been standing is literally awash with hissing, sizzling acid.
I watch all of this take place after scurrying to a safe distance, still hoovering in mana and churning it through constructs, preparing my next spell.
I think the acid welcome will certainly hurt the massive demons, but I don’t think it’ll be enough to destroy them. I need to be ready.
From deep within the newly formed acid lake, bubbles begin to rise as the dark liquid stirs ominously. More and more bubbles rise and soon the entire pool is a frothing, boiling mass.
From deep within, a sphere of pure fire rises, surrounded by a cloud of acidic gas as the fluid in contact with the shield itself is immediately vaporised. I can already sense the surging ash within the flames. The three demons aren’t happy.
When the trio emerge into the open, their suffocating auras batter into me, even more intense than they were before. Things aren’t going according to plan and I don’t think the heralds are all that happy about it.
The air itself seems to burn around Torrifex as he seethes with rage, his skin shifting and bubbling as the fire within him rages out of control.
Pyrixan has transformed into a column of pure ash, the aura of destruction emanating from her is so thick even the acid vapour is dissolved to nothing as it draws close to her.
Somonax is the most terrifying. Her bloodlust has become so thick the air around her has become tainted red. Each of her blades glows bright, twisting around her as if each has a mind of its own.
It’s an intimidating sight, but the Colony didn’t only bring ants to this party. From the encircling army emerges a host of demons, almost all of them tier six. These are the demons who live in Colony occupied territory and remain free from Arconidems compulsion.
From long range, they unleash their fury, a torrent of fire and ash and rage that covers the three heralds once again.
Even at tier eight, being besieged by thousands of weaker monsters must be a massive pain in the backzone. After the torrid fight we’ve been through, they can’t be in their peak condition, but even so, I know that this won’t be enough.
As the demons pour out their firepower, I watch carefully for any hint of motion. My brains feel like they’re melting, pushed to the limit, each of my dozens of mind constructs is frantically working to draw in mana and add it to the spell I’m preparing.
The spell itself is beginning to become hard to control as I pack more and more power into it. To provide enough power, I had to create a gravity mana construct and that thing is positively humming with all the raw mana I’m pumping into it.
As I work, I keep one eye on the Altar, watching as the precious, precious energy refills rapidly. With this many ants around, I’m practically overflowing with Will.
All I need is for the three demons to be pinned down for a few more seconds!
[ENOUGH!] Torrifex booms, his mental roar so powerful it flattens many of the demons and ants flat against the ground.
[The demon god commands you obey! AND YOU SHALL!]
He glares at the demons who dared to attack him and his sisters, as if his eyes alone were enough to destroy their Will and force them to succumb to Arconidem. Perhaps he does have some method to effect them. Pity I’ll never now.
[Arconibutt has got nothing to say until he can drag his sorry backside up here and say it himself!]
My own mental bellow isn’t quite at the same level as the heralds, but it’s enough to carry across the field of battle.
[Now get squished!]
Empowered by the Altar, I unleash the greatest, most concentrated Gravity Well I’ve ever made.
The demons are engulfed in a pillar of darkness from which not even light can escape.
Comments
Moulfrit el Tieu
I'm a little bit sad that the omni-elemental construct isn't used more often
Gopard
Thanks for the chapter!
Gopard
I agree this at the very leat felt a little "easy" especially as it was mentioned many times that higher tier monsters in general have highly increased resistance to "foreign manipulation of the mana in or just around their body" (can't just make stuff apear inside the body or turn a demon to snow, ect...) But in this the Mana in and around the bodies was moved and thus certainly manipulated AND added to that the dimensional fabric (or wherever he hell they went through^^) was ALSO manipulated! So what is strange to me is that those demons didnd't feel the energy-buildup? They used the liquid mana as energy source but to make it in any way feasable they had to be pretty close to the battle (distance makes magic cost exponentially more expensive after all) BUT THEN HOW could eneries likely ECLIPSING that of a tier-8-attack (no matter how good she is Brilliant is tier 6 righ? which means he efficiency HAS to still be worse than Tier 8 monsters --> she needs more energy than an actual "teleport-specialist" on tier 8 would need. So the question is HOW DID THE DEMONS NOT NOTICE???!!! :)
Anthony Romanov
Yep it not like she killed them and she was simply a navigator for teleportation. She simply activated premade one time use Gate that teleported to specific place and guided all of them through gate.
Andrick
It’s a non-damaging spell that has a very long charge time that requires runes to draw strength. It would essentially be like installing a portable gate. Unless, they are specifically evolved with teleports resistance, it makes sense they can be moved. It’s not like she damaged them
Merf
Yeah Brilliant is only a few months old too, so she’s not only zoomed up the tiers she also cracked teleportation in record time. Also I think she’s still tier 5…
Runaway_Cactuar
I think it's fair though since Brilliant is a champion who literally has no other ability or skill. If she had to fight a T4 monster by herself, she'd likely be screwed. She is hyperspecialized for this task.
Icharris
In the end it's still two T6's who set it up. Don't get me wrong I think this is the best way this could of went. But it did 'just' happen. In an instant they just instant transmissioned - and stunned - three T8's, plus two T7's and some T6's across a stratum. They did use a setup with contraptions to aid this. But this is a book where ability is skill driven. Brilliant really can't have skills above rank 6 so her contraptions can't be too amazing. And the setup time wasn’t that long. It shouldn’t be this OP imo.
alt31415
I mean, she didn't 'just' teleport them. There was plenty of set up required for Brilliant to do it. Saying she 'just' did it discredits their planning.
Icharris
I was expecting this - and hoping for this as it’s the best resolution - but I’m still not happy about it. The fact a T6 can just teleport 3 tier 8 is kind of game breaking. They are literally insane masses of mana and powerful cores and shouldn’t be so easily teleported and in order for it to be balanced a teleportation field shouldn’t form so rapidly these tier 8’s can’t react. Anyways I doubt I’ll ever be satisfied with the way the plot has progressed here. It is what it is. Will just have to move on… it’s one blemish on the story but minor in the long run I guess.
Gonvas
It was a nice twist 🐜😈
The Blue Bandabear
Ya best come correct if ur knocking at the Queendom
Koala Man
That’s brilliant,, :)
Gardor
Then it's equally easy to imagine the colony using delaying tactics to hinder the weakened and dying monsters, who will be wasting mana at an insane rate just trying to keep their bodies from falling apart.
M Afxarr
Nice!! Wasn’t expecting this turn of events. Was wondering what the secret strategy would turn out to be. I’m quite thrilled at these turn of events. Thanx for the chapter RinoZ
alt31415
Then it's not hard to imagine the Tier 8s lightning-speed run back down to safe mana levels - there is a wave on, so it wouldn't be too hard. And an unsafe teleport would likely rip Brilliant apart too, since we don't know if she can exclude herself.
Gardor
Why move Anthony at all?
alt31415
Can Brilliant do that and also move Anthony and co to safely?
Weirwood
Genius. Hope he's strapped down and his secret protectors are okay
Gardor
Shoulda teleported them to the surface, let em die from mana withdrawal. Or just give em an unstable teleport, their safety isn't an issue.
CentaureHeart
Finish theeeeeeeem
Aaron Schwartz
…… that’s……wow…. Please for the love of god get that image out of my head. I think I hate you now.
Adam Boshcoff
Great chapter! 😁
ShadyDemoness
Take my like an leave
Wensber
I was wondering how he would win without the colony. This was Brilliant.
alt31415
I had a feeling it'd be something like this! Go Colony, go!
Koala Man
Awesome 😎
Sebin Paul
Thunderhoof
I wish Granin could witness this fight lol
