Lorcan perched silently on a tree branch as his companions maneuvered into position. It didn’t take long before the air thrummed with the telltale vibrations of spatial tunneling, heralding the convergence of dozens of Brallgramoths on the far side of their nesting area. Vokari must have executed his mission of placing Beast Crystal Emitters flawlessly. I hoped he managed to escape, because the beasts’ response was even swifter and more aggressive than we had anticipated.
Baldy was supposed to execute a stealthy approach from another angle, but... The beasts divided their attention further, and more of them veered towards Baldy's direction. Their reaction was excessively heightened. It was clear these beasts were under the influence of potent Beast Crystal energy, perhaps even from an array that fueled their rage and augmented their strength.
The planet resided within the Million Gates Territory, notorious for its spatial instability and abundant gateways. Positioned at a locus of particularly weak spacetime, the beasts now exploited spatial tunneling without restraint or rationale. Lorcan utilized his sensory skill, imbued with the essence of Spatial Sensation. His suspicions were confirmed. Space fractured, barely held together by sheer will. Venturing towards the heart of the Brallgramoths' nest risked being torn asunder by spatial anomalies. He paused, gathering his resolve. Careful navigation through spatial skills became imperative. Surrendering was not an option.
Descending from the tree, Lorcan activated a stealth talisman and masked his scent with powders. He proceeded cautiously, relying solely on sensory perception to navigate and evade the most perilous spatial hazards. With the majority of the beasts diverted in pursuit of his comrades, he encountered scant opposition. After half an hour, he arrived at a network of tunnels riddled with openings leading deep into the earth. He probed his surroundings, then leaped down.
The nest of the beasts presented an enigma. The tunnels weren’t mere burrows; they appeared folded, twisting and turning in perplexing patterns. Lorcan crept through the labyrinthine tunnels, his senses attuned to every subtle shift in the spatial fabric. As he ventured deeper, the tunnels grew narrower and more convoluted, a maze designed to confound intruders. Yet, Lorcan pressed on, driven by determination and the urgency of his mission.
After what felt like hours of navigating the winding passages, Lorcan stumbled upon a vast chamber at the heart of the labyrinth. Spatially expanded, it measured more than a mile in radius. Illuminated by an eerie bioluminescent glow, the chamber exuded an aura of ominous power. Cosmic energy was denser than anywhere else he’d yet been. And it had some additional feeling to it. Raw and intangible. The energy projected by Beast Crystals. In the middle of the cavern was something he had not expected. Although he should have. Most beasts had a stronger variant as a leader. Or in this case, a queen. There, at the center of it all, sat the Brallgramoth Queen.
The monstrous creature, towering over Lorcan with menacing grace, radiated an aura of primal ferocity. Its chitinous armor gleamed in the dim light, adorned with golden glowing intricate fractal patterns that spoke of ancient lineage and formidable strength. But it was the Queen's eyes, glowing with a malevolent intelligence, that sent a shiver down Lorcan's spine. He felt its E-grade power. The Beast turned its head around and looked straight at him. The fractals on its head glowed and Lorcan felt space tighten around him. He tried to use his short-range teleport evasion, but it failed. Like he’d held the hexasquirrel captive, the Queen held him. Even half a mile away, her abilities shut down his own.
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Then she attacked. With a guttural rumble, the Queen unleashed her spatial abilities, warping the very fabric of reality around them. Fractured space cut at him like invincible swords of non-space. Lorcan found himself locked in a deadly dance, dodging razor-sharp spatial rifts and struggling to maintain his footing amidst the chaotic onslaught. He downed a treasure he’d held in reserve. His speed increased; while he was flooded with power. He knew, he’d have to pay a price as soon as this boosting treasure ran out. He ran at the queen with [Doublestep] at maximum speed, but could not reach her. His spatial attacks with [Strike of the Five Ways] were completely blocked by the queen’s spatial lockdown. He couldn’t come within even a hundred meters, much less near enough to use his spear or any of his attack talismans.
The battle raged on, each clash more perilous than the last. Lorcan summoned every ounce of his skill and resolve, pushing himself beyond the limits of endurance. But the Queen was relentless, her attacks growing more ferocious with each passing moment. With every heartbeat, Lorcan felt the strain of the spatial distortion bearing down on him, threatening to unravel his very existence.
But amidst the chaos, a plan began to form in his mind, a daring gambit born of desperation and necessity. Space itself threatened to fracture due to the relentless stress of the many Brallgramoths, the already weakened spatial barriers of the Million Gates Territory, and now the He let go of anything using the Dao of time and concentrated on [Strike of the Five Ways]. He infused the skill with every bit of insight his both Dao seeds could provide. The boosting treasure was running out and if he could not strike before it did, his meager physical attributes would not be enough to do what he planned. He had only one try. Using his spatial insight, he targeted not the queen itself, but the fractured space in front of her. Not on the physical reality, but on the other side of the dimensional barrier. Interlocking fragments of fractured space were barely holding together. He searched and found a pivotal piece. Calculating the exact angle, he hit it with everything he had. Every ounce of strength and every bit of Dao insight he could muster. Space shattered like glass. Fragments of spacetime shifted, turned and broke apart. Long black spatial rifts opened, whirling around in a chaotic vortex. The queen did not even have time to scream before parts of her vanished without trace, while others fell apart, cut by the spatial rifts.
Lorcan ducked and sprinted, calculating an undisturbed and safe passage to the edge of the cavern. His boosting treasure ran out mid-step and he fell into a heap on the floor. He fell unconscious even before his head hit the stone floor. When he woke an undetermined amount of time later, the dust had settled and the spatial anomalies closed. The queen, or what was left of her, was a steaming pile in the middle. With a sense of weary triumph, Lorcan surveyed the chamber, knowing that the battle was far from over. But for now, the immediate threat had been vanquished, and the path to victory lay clear before him.
He went over and searched for the cache of Beast Crystals he suspected to be there. It took an hour of careful searching, then he found the hidden chest. He had to dig up a meter of compact earth to unearth it. The metal chest was surrounded by hidden array discs. Camouflage and anti-detection arrays and a not yet triggered Mindfire array. The crystals inside were even more numerous and all of E-grade. He suspected the queen had stored her eggs inside a spatial storage inside her body, since he only found fragmented parts amid her carcass. Identifying them he found each and every one of them at E-grade. He didn’t know how fast the beasts grew, but knowing insect-like beasts and taking into account the vast energy source they had with the Beast Crystals, they’d probably have been fully active by the time the abbot was still in seclusion. He shuddered. That would have been a massacre, even without the other beast swarms.
Turning his gaze to the exit of the labyrinth, Lorcan took a moment to steel himself for the challenges that lay ahead. With newfound resolve, he set forth, determined to return to his companions and forge a path towards the monastery's salvation.