Chrysalis Chapter 1726 - Unexpected Wins

Previously on Chrysalis...

Anthony glides through the tunnels using his submarine technique, accompanied by two battalions of ants, support troops, and dozens of priests, while keeping Tiny, Invidia, and Crinis close. He plans to power-level his companions to the eighth tier as they descend toward the fifth or sixth stratum, anticipating greater challenges ahead. Frustrated with Tiny's destructive tendencies, Anthony convinces him to fight non-lethally, framing it as sparring to teach the art of ape-boxing without squashing foes. He directs Crinis to restrain her tentacle assaults and instead employ her Curse Magic, hoping to irritate enemies without provoking all-out war.

Fortune smiled on me as I navigated the passages without running into any suspicious trouble, the Colony's troops marching steadily in my wake. It appears the explorers from Green Mountain have thrown in the towel for now, fearing I might still be hiding in the darkness, ready to snag them again.

Which I totally am.

However, the nearer we draw to Green Mountain proper, the greater the bustle I pick up on. Leading the charge up front, I've stopped hiding my mana, and it's paying off—I sense various little bands fleeing from me the moment I enter their detection zone. Fingers crossed they'll spread the news of my arrival without spotting the company trailing me.

At last, I arrive at a spot merely ten or twelve kilometers from right under Green Mountain itself. We're undoubtedly on their turf now, and to an outsider, we might look like a full-on invading army. Green Mountain could justifiably muster their soldiers and delvers to crush this danger.

Truth be told, if they tried, I'd be over the moon!

[Alright, Crinis. You know what you have to do.]

[DESTROY THE FILTH!]

…

[Um… excuse me?]

Crinis, shaped like a shapeless lump, peels away from my shadow and splats down on the tunnel ground next to me. She flails a bunch of tentacles wildly, obviously mortified.

[I misspoke!] she insists, shielding herself from my pointed stare.

[Sure you did.]

Your disguise cracked for a moment there, Crinis. Secure it tight before you step out from my jaws. We can't afford slip-ups.

[There will be no destruction of anything. You are to stay clean. You are going to play nice. Remember?]

[Y-yes, Master. I remember.]

[There won’t be any slips, will there?]

[Of course not!]

[No… cutting people into more parts than they are supposed to have?]

[W-well…] she falters, [how many parts is a person supposed to be in?]

[ONE!] I bellow. [They are supposed to be in ONE, Crinis!]

She twitches her tentacles toward me, like some kind of defensive gesture.

[Alright, I have it! I will make sure everyone I find remains in one piece.]

[And not traumatised in any way.]

[Dammit.]

[AHA! I caught you! Get out there scouting, no fighting at all! Absolutely none. You clearly can’t be trusted right now.]

Sheesh.

Called out and scolded, a mildly annoyed Crinis heaves herself from the floor, then plummets, vanishing straight into her own shadow, which shimmers like pond water before dissolving away. She's vanished, heading into the shadow realm. From this point, dangers could lurk around every bend with potential traps everywhere. I'm employing my gravity sense to detect any tricks, but it's not infallible. Having Crinis out there watching, in a manner of speaking, will make me far more at ease.

“Are you sure about this, Eldest? It seems foolish to think we can engage in a battle with three legs tied behind our backs.”

Sloan is concerned, and rightly so. Battling foes who aim to annihilate while we hold back from doing the same is… downright ridiculous. It's big 'S' silly. The kind of silly that bursts out of any sausage casing.

“We aren’t even aiming to fight them,” I assure the general, “not really. A little showboating, a touch of what Tiny calls flexing to and fro, then we bolt, leaving our rivals clueless. See it as a show-of-strength drill. Let them know we're serious.”

“We are far from our own territory,” Sloan counters, rubbing her antennae against her elbow joints to calm her jitters. “We can’t be sure they won’t slip behind us and force a battle.”

“Which is why we’re taking precautions. Scouts and mages are out in the tunnels. We brought core shapers to keep watch on the flanks.”

Getting dragged into combat would be the absolute worst result. Compelled to protect ourselves, losses would surely follow.

[Master?] Crinis contacts me, her mind-voice weak as if transmitted from afar. [Can you hear me?]

[I can. Is there an issue?]

[I found something that you might want to see.]

[It’s not a mysteriously dismembered person, is it?]

[No!]

Well, this is intriguing.

[What is it?]

[I need to come back, in case they find me.]

They? Who is they?

“Apparently, Crinis has found something unexpected,” I inform Sloan, who takes it poorly.

“Unexpected? That’s not good! Unexpected in what way? Unexpected can be positive or negative.”

“You clearly need some rest. You’re too high strung. When was the last time you had torpor?”

“... No comment.”

That’s not good.

It doesn’t take long before Crinis returns, emerging from the shadows and forming a small blob beside me.

[There’s an army in the tunnels, Master,] she reports bluntly.

[Already? We only just got here.]

[I think they’ve been here for a few days at least. I don’t think they’re from Green Mountain either.]

Not from the mountain? So… where are they from? Who the heck is sending an army down here?

[Master, I think they looked a little… religious.]

Religious? Wait…

[Are you telling me that the Church of the Path has sent an army down here?!]

[Yes, I think so.]

…

[Tiny, sparring is off.]