Chrysalis Chapter 1759 - Crest the Wave

Solant took a sip of her tea, then tilted her head to nibble at the biscuit. The flavor suited her tastes exactly, featuring a dash of citrus along with a gentle, non-overwhelming sweetness that caused a slight tremble in her antennae. Naturally, the tea proved delectable as well. It offered bold, grounded tones that shifted into a delicate fusion of flavors across the tongue. Lately, Solant had opted for her tea without milk, favoring its more intense profile, yet sugar remained an indispensable addition.

With the expanding networks of supply routes linking the fifth layer to the surface realm and the Colony's burgeoning agricultural prowess, tea and sugar had stopped being the scarce treasures they once were at such depths. Clicking her mandibles in contentment, the diminutive general reclined and permitted herself to savor the instant.

“You seem at ease,” Leonidant remarked from close by.

“I am always at ease,” Solant responded calmly.

Her sibling twitched her antennae in mockery.

“Oh. Others might not notice, but I can. You’ve been utterly tense awaiting the Eldest's return, and everyone knows it. Why else would we have pushed so relentlessly?”

It rang true. Though she excelled at hiding her feelings from most ants, her nineteen nearest siblings—the ones who emerged from the same clutch—always pierced her facade, no matter how skillfully she crafted it.

“Because I requested it?”

“We’ve exceeded your expectations far beyond what you demanded, and you know that full well.”

This held true as well.

“Well, the Eldest has returned now,” Solant pointed out. “So our circumstances are somewhat less perilous than previously.”

“That’s a mild way to phrase it,” Leonidant replied.

Both had reviewed the revised map that morning. The alterations weren't drastic on the surface, yet their implications were profound. Merely a week had passed since she had assigned the Eldest to demolish the four strongholds that confined the Colony.

In reality, most of the Eldest's efforts had gone toward traversal. Circling the perimeter of the seized lands covered considerable ground, after all. Upon reaching each site, the Eldest had swiftly eradicated the Krath, seized a few captives, and reversed their alterations to the passages—all within a single day.

She couldn't pinpoint exactly what transpired in the latest evolution, but evidently, it had enabled their mightiest ant to thrive in the fifth layer's conditions. After shattering the barriers that had blocked her for months, they now descended toward the lower levels to assault the obstruction below.

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“Do you believe the Eldest grasps how critical our predicament truly was?”

“Likely,” Solant answered, sipping her tea again. “It’s always challenging to discern precisely what our elder comprehends. They remain… unpredictable.”

“That’s a gentle way to say it. I still can’t fathom what occurred during our Tunnel Ball match.”

Solant froze, the atmosphere thickening with strain. She didn’t like being reminded of her loss.

“No matter that incident. I’m certain the Eldest, at least partly, recognized the escalating peril. With expansion halted, the Krath amassed along our frontiers, intensifying the strain. It was merely a question of time before they exploited a weakness in our defenses.”

“You accounted for every possibility,” Leonidant countered. “Is there even a weakness to exploit?”

“No one can foresee everything,” Solant rebutted. “Not even I. If I were convinced our barriers were unbreakable, why would we have labored so intensely to avoid putting them to the test?”

Central to Solant’s approach lay the relentless expansion of the Colony’s domain outward. Should the Krath gain sufficient opportunity, they would devise counters to the purified mana; corruption represented their greatest strength, the domain they mastered most thoroughly. To avert that, she needed to press on, forcing them to withdraw, denying them the chance to fortify their positions.

During her Senior's slumber and evolution, she had strived to cope in their absence, upholding her tactics and advancing the cause. Enormous strides occurred in that period, though the pace inevitably decelerated relatively. It had become a precarious balancing act against the Krath. They couldn't infiltrate the secure zone to injure the ants, just as the ants couldn't penetrate the corrupted areas to damage the slugs.

Thus, they competed fiercely, vying to shatter the stalemate first. Solant now held the advantage there, but the slugs wouldn't yield, not until the bitter conclusion. That was among the motives for seeking prisoners. Cooperation seemed improbable, yet uncovering the slugs' ongoing projects would allow her to surge ahead once again.

“The upcoming expansion phase is set for two days from now,” Leonidant mentioned, as though Solant weren't already aware. “How aggressively do you plan to advance?”

“Sufficiently to keep them falling back,” she replied. “Our primary efforts must shift elsewhere.”

“Oh?” Leonidant expressed surprise. “And why is that?”

“Because our foes' attention lies elsewhere.”

In the profound depths below, the majority of the slug clan's defenses had converged. The Krath aimed to prevent deeper descent, and she yearned to uncover the reason.

“We must pierce through to the sixth layer,” she declared, “without delay. Establishing a link to that fresh realm will grant the Colony boundless might. Every realm, dominion, and settlement will crave entry. Those become our allies. Should we sway enough to initiate their own incursions into the fifth, the Krath will face overwhelming battles on multiple fronts, unable to concentrate on us. At that juncture, victory is ours.”

“And what of Merchant? I heard she arrives tomorrow?”

Solant took another bite of her biscuit.

“Based on my knowledge, I doubt she can assist much, but the Eldest demanded it. I’ll accommodate her briefly.”