Chrysalis Chapter 1772 - Belly of the Beast

The instant I let go from the ceiling and start drifting down to the secret entrance, the Krath begin panicking wildly. They dart back and forth, surely screeching at each other, while some race away into the distance, slithering off to alert the ones below before I arrive.

Gweheheheh. Sorry, but no chance of that happening!

The chute squeezes tight around me, forcing my legs to tuck under my body to avoid scraping the walls. Thick mucus coats every surface, and the tunnel feels unnervingly alive. I can't shake the sensation of sliding down a throat into the stomach underneath. Mandibles crossed that it doesn't end up that way. Being devoured and melted might appear off my worry list thanks to my huge size and immense strength, but if a creature big enough exists, the fifth stratum could definitely handle it.

This area has always resembled a massive living being, so why not a stomach too? Ugh, even imagining it churns my gut, especially in this vertical pipe that's nauseating enough already.

This spot is rather cramped, and my guards can't fly... I don't believe. How do they descend here? I skip asking since they'll ignore me, instead dipping into the Vestibule to locate them.

Naturally, I should've guessed. They're all clinging to my back. Not merely twenty, but their extra bodies too! Their ridiculous perception filter works too perfectly. I fail to notice the added strain or the quicker drain on my Gravity Well's energy unless I focus hard on them.

Nearly eighty ants stacked on me isn't the elegant drop I envisioned, but since no one else detects them, it should be okay. Sheesh!

Just as Defendant mentioned, the chute stretches over a kilometer, pitch black at the end. My mana sense pierces through, though, revealing insane energy density below.

I figured the slugs guarded a boundary for a purpose, blocking the Colony from something vital, and it seems I was right.

As I near, the mana thickens overwhelmingly. This tops any concentration I've sensed in the fifth yet. Denser than mucus lakes, even surpassing heart interiors. Sure, it doesn't match Theorazzn’s mana, but that belongs in a league of its own, clearly not from around here.

Precisely what awaits me below? Images of festering, toxic slime seas plague my thoughts. It has to surpass everything encountered so far, but good grief, is that feasible?!

I nearly want to shut my eyes upon reaching the chute's base and plunging into the depths, dreading the horror ahead.

Landing prepared for nightmare fuel, surprisingly, it's not... quite so awful?

Don't misunderstand, it's still revolting.

Expecting a vast mana reservoir, I discover a comparatively slim tunnel by fifth-stratum measures. Walls aren't fleshy but smooth and porous. No vibrant pink hue; instead, charred black and decayed, dripping liquid in spots. The stench defies description, heavy toxic fumes and glowing mucus strands like radiation stretch floor to ceiling.

A powerful, constant thrum pulses through my legs, signaling a nearby heart. But... can a single heart generate such intensity?

Ants detect vibrations better than any, superbly tuned to the faintest tremors in ground or air. That's what I rely on, dammit!

My exquisite ant senses detect more than one vibration source….

Multiple hearts. Wait. WAIT.

Multiple hea–... hold on.

My antennae twitch further, prodding the floor and emerging slathered in dark sludge.

No… there are four! Four hearts throb in this zone. Vibrations stem from four distinct spots, each heart circulating mana throughout.

No wonder the mana density is off the charts. Beyond density, mana races through surrounding tunnels at breakneck speed. This energy torrent gets absorbed into porous walls, surging into decayed, spongy tissue in huge quantities.

Surveying my surroundings, realization dawns. This isn't the slugs' hidden fifth-stratum stomach.

It’s the heart.

Cleansing this could purify a massive region, no doubt scaring the slugs witless.

Gweheheheheh.

This will be epic!

Right as I bask in premature self-praise for an undone job, the slugs unleash their ambush.

Of course they do.