Chrysalis Chapter 1737 - Things Took Quite the Turn For the Worse

Exhaustion began to creep into the War Bishop's very bones, his mace growing heavier with every passing moment and intensifying the sharp ache pulsing through his wrist. In usual situations, he could battle without pause for an entire day, yet remaining near the creature had forced him inside its foul Domain spell. Countering its power had drained him heavily, and his capacity to keep resisting was dropping swiftly now.

Perspiration trickled down his brow while he pressed on with the combat, oblivious to the grimace twisting his features or the rage flaring in his gaze. Nothing else counted except that they take down this wretched beast.

Warriors from Green Mountain kept unleashing devastation upon the creature, with spells and arrows slamming into it nonstop using savage might, hurling fragments of its diamond shell whirling through the sky. Thrown off its footing, the monster twisted around, weaving in place as it blocked and evaded at unnatural swiftness before dropping low for just an instant.

Driven by pure reflex, Graham dodged to the side just as brilliance erupted from the beast and it barreled forward again, shattering their lineup, shoving away the fighters trying to pin it in place, and compelling them to start over. This time at least, it didn't stray too far, letting him close the gap with a lone Dash.

Which thrust him right back into the Domain's grasp.

Even as his muscles howled in agony, Graham refused to yield and kept stoking the blaze inside, consuming his own life force to sustain his power. Some vulnerability had to show from this abomination, it simply had to!

They had clashed for what felt like ages! He'd stopped tracking how often they'd fractured and scarred its ridiculously durable shell, they'd even drawn its blood!

Still, no matter where he searched, the creature bore no major injuries whatsoever. No matter the harm they inflicted or the torment they piled on, that swift healing never let up. Fissures started mending the instant they appeared, sections sliced off reformed within minutes. Whenever they pierced through to wound the tender tissue below, recovery seemed to happen even quicker!

Worse yet, regardless of the beast's combat style, its deployment of Skills and powers, or the mana it burned through, depletion never touched it. After everything they'd thrown at it, the monster behaved just as it had at the battle's outset, whereas the Judgement Battalion sank deeper into weariness.

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It grew obvious what the monster had aimed for from the start: it had no plans to truly engage them, just to wear them out.

As the ant's allies let out their war shout and surged ahead, Graham realized the situation had worsened dramatically. As the Ape beast bellowed and emerged into view, anxiety gripped him. As shadows from his own form burst forth with tendrils aiming to burrow into his head, terror took hold.

“Focus on the ant!” he bellowed. “We bring it down!”

Failure here was unthinkable. They embodied Judgement's might, the Church's verdict and the guardians of the light. Who would tread the Path without trusting its protectors? Graham had never once missed his quarry, and he wouldn't begin today.

“Curse Magic! Watch out!” someone shouted.

“Suppress it!” Graham commanded. “Feed the flames!”

Raising his mace high, he focused inward for a short instant, obeying his own directive as he channeled greater amounts of his vitality into the Battalion's shared blaze. His comrades followed suit, emptying their remaining vigor to empower their allies.

Power flooded through Graham, and he lifted his mace skyward.

“Unleash the Sword of Judgement!”

With those words, he hurled himself at the ant. If they could pin it down briefly, that would suffice. No matter its resilience or endurance, a breaking point existed, and Graham would uncover it, whatever the price.

Bellowing fiercely, he swung the mace downward, radiance bursting from the weapon and sweeping in a broad sweep. True to form, the ant countered before the motion even started, snapping its mandibles forward to deflect his strike. It made no difference, as countless others mirrored the assault, hammering its shell and limbs while their essence ebbed away.

Light Shapers seized that essence and shaped it, crafting the massive sword of searing brilliance right above the ant's form.

Graham felt sure it anticipated the attack. The how didn't concern him, only the fact that it did.

“Target the legs! Keep it pinned!” he thundered.

Dozens heeded his shout, battering the creature's six limbs in a frantic bid to immobilize it.

This time, the ant skipped evasion, neither jumping nor Dashing or shifting aside. Diamond cracked apart, fluid gushed out, and sinew tore as the Judgement Battalion loosed a barrage of attacks.

Rather, the ant tilted backward, lifted its head to the almost-formed blade looming twice its size overhead, and parted its mandibles broadly.

The event that followed defied Graham's full comprehension.

There existed light.

Then darkness prevailed.

Then quiet reigned.

And finally, everything turned to flames.