The Devourer: Chapter 7 – When One Almost Leaves
(Three weeks later, floor 98)
It had been approximately three weeks since Aio's encounter with the druid abomination, and he had utilized that time to make subtle yet significant modifications to his Wrath and Blitzkrieg forms. These modifications aimed to enhance his combat capabilities and adaptability. While not extensive, the changes proved to be effective.
One notable improvement was the incorporation of a second brain, similar to those found in dinosaur monsters. This addition granted Aio greater control over each individual quill on his Wrath body. He could now release them selectively, one at a time, instead of all at once, allowing for more precise attacks. The enhanced control over his quills granted him a greater advantage in battles, enabling him to exploit weak points in his adversaries.
In addition to the changes in his Wrath form, Aio decided to replace the quills on his Blitzkrieg form with scales obtained from lizardmen. These new scales provided enhanced protection and durability, offering an additional layer of defense against enemy attacks. They served as a formidable armor, capable of withstanding powerful strikes and reducing the damage inflicted upon Aio's body.
Furthermore, Aio made a strategic alteration by replacing his ears with those of a sonic bat. This modification granted him the ability to hear sounds within an impressive 200-meter radius, far surpassing the auditory capabilities of most creatures. With his new sonic hearing, Aio could detect even the faintest of sounds, allowing him to anticipate and react to potential threats before they became imminent dangers.
The most intriguing modification, however, was the replacement of the mucus produced by his scales with the mucus of a slime monster he had vanquished on the 76th floor. This slime mucus offered him additional protection and adaptability. Depending on the type of slime consumed, the mucus would exhibit corresponding properties. For example, consuming a slime that fed on metals would eventually allow Aio's mucus to take on metallic qualities, granting him resistance to metal-based attacks. Similarly, consuming slimes that fed on dead monsters or monster blood would transform the mucus into a blood-red substance, offering enhanced regeneration and defensive capabilities. This newfound adaptability allowed Aio to consume various slimes, harnessing their transformative properties to his advantage.
Currently, Aio found himself devouring raw Azantium ore that had been exposed near the stairs leading to the 99th floor. He believed that possessing this ore would prove valuable in facing whatever challenges awaited him on the hundredth floor. Whether it involved confronting multiple powerful monsters or engaging in a final, potentially overpowered boss fight, Aio had learned from experiences in the labyrinth. Thus, acquiring the Azantium ore served as a strategic move to enhance his arsenal and prepare for the unknown.
With the last piece of Azantium ore consumed, Aio's ears twitched, alerting him to a nearby presence. He swiftly shifted his gaze to the left, only to be met by the gaze of over 50 eyes belonging to the tansum worker ants. Their antennae twitched, and their mandibles clicked together, signifying their readiness for combat. Aio had faced these relentless creatures for the past three floors, encountering nothing but waves of these annoying ants and the remains of defeated monsters. Wave after wave forced Aio into countless battles, wearing down his patience and testing his resolve.
Determined to overcome these relentless adversaries, Aio decided to employ a new tactic against them. Allowing poison to build up in his throat, he introduced boiling water and then opened his mouth, spitting out the concoction as it transformed into a mist mid-air. The mist targeted the ants' antennae and eyes, causing them agonizing pain and confusion. Their damaged antennae hindered their ability to perceive their comrades, making them strike at each other instead. Aio watched with detached calmness as they fought and attacked one another, capitalizing on their impaired vision and sense of smell. To ensure they remained blinded, Aio utilized his quills to strike at their eyes, incapacitating them further. Patiently, he waited as the ants continued to kill each other until only one remained, standing alone amidst the carnage. It struggled desperately against the instinct to self-annihilate, but the loss of blood proved too much, and it collapsed before Aio's eyes. With a final swing, Aio crushed its head, ending its suffering.
Aio's eyes revealed a chilling indifference, a manifestation of a mindset deeply rooted within him over time. Initially, he had to convince himself that his actions were essential for his survival, finding solace in the justification of consuming these creatures to sustain himself and acquire their abilities. However, as the relentless cycle of killing and devouring continued, genuine indifference took hold, permeating his very being. Aio had grown desensitized to the brutality and death that encompassed his existence, his earlier moral concerns fading away into insignificance. The torment he had endured within the labyrinth had eroded his capacity for empathy and compassion, leaving behind a void that was slowly being filled by self-serving motivations and a growing disdain for the world that had shaped him. Unaware of the profound changes occurring within him, Aio failed to recognize the transformation that had already begun to ferment deep within his psyche. . .
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(99th floor)
Aio's eyes twitched with mounting irritation and fatigue as he found himself confronted with the relentless onslaught of over 300 monsters on the current floor. The seemingly never-ending battle was taking its toll on his patience. In a swift and fluid motion, he transitioned once again from his Blitzkrieg form to Wrath, unleashing a barrage of quills in every direction. The lethal projectiles shot through the air like deadly projectiles, piercing the bodies of countless ants. Sensing an opportunity to further disorient his adversaries, Aio unleashed a powerful sonic attack, the sheer force of which reverberated through the labyrinth, causing the ants' delicate sensory organs to spiral into chaos.
Knowing that a change in tactics was necessary, Aio swiftly transformed into the Sham Alraune, tapping into her unique abilities. The Sham Alraune possessed an array of spores that could manipulate and control the minds of living creatures. Aio released a cloud of these spores upon the swarming ants, seizing control over a substantial portion of their numbers. The affected ants turned against their brethren, igniting violent conflicts amidst the writhing mass. Time passed as Aio skillfully orchestrated wave after wave of ant battles, using his influence to send messages and instructions to his controlled army. His guidance helped them eliminate the less coordinated ants with ruthless efficiency.
Amid the chaos and carnage, Aio issued a final command to his controlled minions: "Kill yourself." Without hesitation, the ants obeyed, turning on one another with frenzied abandon. Some fought to the death, their mandibles clashing and tearing at each other's exoskeletons. Others, driven to madness, relentlessly bashed their own heads against the unyielding walls of the labyrinth. The air was thick with the sounds of violence and desperation as the ants carried out their grisly fate. As the blood-soaked scene unfolded before him, Aio watched with an eerie calmness, his gaze fixed upon the final ant standing, desperately resisting its own demise.
Aio's expression remained impassive as he observed the struggling creature. With deliberate precision, he summoned a massive Tendril-like appendage, formed from the vine-like lower half of his Sham Alraune form. The tendril, now two meters in width, swung through the air with a deadly grace, its target locked onto the lone ant. In one swift and devastating strike, the tendril connected with the right side of the ant's head, crushing its exoskeleton and sending its lifeless body hurtling against the labyrinth walls. The impact left nothing but a green blood splatter as a macabre testament to its existence.
Aio's gaze swept over the scene, Lifeless bodies littered throughout the labyrinths floor the flowers from her spores already wilted away, leaving what can only be described as Massacre behind. The air was thick with the stench of death and decay as the remains of the fallen ants lay scattered around her. Then soon after her body shifted and contorted, morphing from green shifting vines to a mass of blue slime. Its massive form reached for the ceiling of the laybrinth before melting into a puddle that stretched and covered the bodies littered thoughtout before assimulaing them into itself. After that was all done it once again shifted and contoured its slime form began to take the shape of a beast and from it began to change its slime body shifted from a blue slime to sharp and pointy quills that extended in all directions, and as its transformation ended it let out a low growl from its throught its quills and ears shifting ever so slightly form anticipation of finally getting out of the labyrinth.
And with calculated strides, he resumed his journey, venturing deeper into the labyrinth's twisted passages. The path ahead appeared to be a random tunnel, seemingly leading to the unknown. Yet, Aio pressed forward, undeterred by the hidden dangers that awaited him in the labyrinth's depths. The echoes of his footsteps reverberated through the labyrinth as Aio forged ahead, his mind focused on its goal of finally escaping this endless realm of kill or be killed and once again seeing the morning sun.
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(hours later)
Aio continued his calm journey, traversing past the sea of lifeless ant corpses as he ventured deeper into the labyrinth. Despite the eerie silence, his acute hearing detected the lingering presence of hidden monsters. His gaze shifted upwards, revealing a formidable sight that stood before him. An immense ant, measuring an astounding 12 meters in height, stood prominently at the forefront, flanked by four slightly smaller but still imposing ants. Aio surmised that the gigantic ant was the queen, considering the protective stance of the others.The queen ant, distinct from her vibrant red brethren, possessed a striking black coloration. Standing at 12 meters tall and spanning a width of 6-8 meters, she commanded attention. Aio observed that her eyes differed from the rest, bearing a light shade of red that hinted at intelligence, albeit not fully comprehensible. Aio momentarily acknowledged this but quickly dismissed it. Beside the queen stood her royal guard ants, unlike their brethren in both appearance and posture. These guards stood upright on their two legs, with exoskeletons resembling more of an armored structure than the organic covering of the other ants. Sporting four clawed feet and three-fingered hands with wings adorning their backs, they intrigued Aio more than the queen herself. He wondered about the reasons behind the queen's distinct coloration and the guard ants' humanoid features. The differences intrigued him, and he grew eager to consume them, hoping to acquire any unique abilities they possessed.
As Aio calmly proceeded, the Royal Ant Guard took the initiative, charging at him. A swift movement of his tail sent quills towards them, but to his surprise, the projectiles bounced off their robust exoskeletons. Reacting swiftly, one of the ants swatted at Aio, leaving a deep gash on his face. Undeterred, Aio retaliated, unleashing a wave of quills that pushed the ants back toward their queen. The wound on Aio's face rapidly healed, closing at a visible speed. Observing the ants closely, he noticed that despite the barrage of quills, they remained largely unharmed, displaying only minor dents in their exoskeletons. Even the queen seemed unaffected by the assault. Responding swiftly, Aio released a wave of acidic mist, shrouding himself from the ants' view, before letting out a resounding roar, invoking the power of Alph's call to amplify his own strength. Additionally, he transformed into his blitzkrieg form, ready for the impending battle.
Silence hung in the air for a moment as the ants, standing guard around their queen, watched the dissipating smoke intently, expecting Aio's emergence. When the smoke cleared, they found themselves without a target. The ants circled their queen, remaining vigilant and scanning their surroundings, yet Aio seemed to have vanished. Sensing the queen's distress, the ant guards looked up, only to witness Aio, now in his blitzkrieg form, clinging to the ceiling, his mouth oozing acidic droplets. Without hesitation, he pounced from the ceiling, coating himself in Azantium as a protective measure before landing on the spot where the queen had been standing, only to narrowly miss her as she evaded his attack. A momentary thought flashed through Aio's mind, acknowledging his near miss, before the ant guards swiftly surrounded him, their intentions clear. However, their advance halted abruptly as flowers began to sprout around Aio's body, blossoming into full bloom. A confident grin appeared on Aio's face, for he knew that the abilities of the dryad form he had assumed so far had proven invaluable, as nothing he had encountered possessed resistance against them. However, his confidence was short-lived, as he experienced an unexpected sensation of rejection. The flowers that had bloomed atop the ant guards' heads withered away. Filled with pure hatred for the intruder who dared to challenge their control, the ant guards unleashed a ferocious assault, pouncing upon Aio from all four directions. In an instant, Aio's eyes flashed yellow, and his opponents froze in place as they witnessed one of their comrades' heads turning to stone before collapsing lifelessly.Another grin emerged on Aio's face as he realized that the ant guards were capable of resisting mind control but had no defense against petrification. He swiftly shifted his gaze to the second nearest ant, activating his yellow-eyed power once more, turning its legs to stone. The remaining two ants reacted swiftly, attempting to close the distance between themselves and Aio, seeking close combat to eliminate him. Aio acknowledged their speed, strength, and resilience, but he relied on his own superior speed and intellect. Utilizing his "quick step" ability, he vanished from his original position, reappearing in front of the ant with its legs turned to stone. Transforming from blitzkrieg to the dryad form, Aio covered his body in Azantium, modifying his left hand into a clawed bear's paw, replacing the claws with those of a red-furred wolf. Aiming for the ant's neck, he sliced through it, activating the claw bear's "wind gale" skill, unleashing blades of wind that beheaded the ant.
The lone remaining ant guard grew increasingly agitated, but the queen signaled for calmness, and the guard obeyed, staring intently at Aio for a moment before exchanging nods with its companions, silently communicating their plan of attack. With their wings spread wide, they charged forward. Aio had no time to run, evade, or even blink, as their flight speed proved too swift. However, his keen perception allowed him to witness their movements, and that became the ants' greatest mistake. A flash of bright yellow emanated from Aio's eyes, and in an instant, the ants ceased to exist.
----(Queen Ant's perspective)
The queen ant seethed with fury. Her royal guard, the finest of her offspring and her pride and joy, had been exterminated with ease, by some creature she had never encountered before. This was different from the humans who had destroyed her previous hive a few weeks ago. The humans had only killed ants that obstructed their path, leaving the rest unharmed. The queen quickly learned to avoid them, instructing her hive to follow the humans but steer clear of their course and refrain from attacking them. Those humans and the creature before her now were distinct. It smelled like the humans but looked and behaved like something else entirely. It attacked and decimated her hive before reaching her and her guard. She commanded her guard to shield her and assess the creature's movements, but impatience overtook her, compelling her to order them to attack. The creature seemed surprised when its attack failed against her guards, a sight that would usually fill her with pride. However, that notion vanished as soon as one of her children struck the creature's face, inflicting a deep wound that would usually cause other monsters to convulse in agony. Strangely, such screams never came. Instead, the creature retaliated by launching an unknown projectile at them. The queen couldn't discern its nature, nor did she care, convinced it couldn't harm them. She readied herself to issue another command but froze as the creature's face began to heal, just like the small human with yellow hair.
Urgently, she ordered her guard to protect her and closely monitor the creature's movements. The creature unleashed a mist from its mouth, the same mist that had inflicted considerable pain upon her children before reaching her. Anger welled up within her, but she restrained herself. Then, it roared and leapt out of the dissipating smoke, too swift for her children to track. She scanned the area, attempting to locate it, and was startled and fearful when she discovered its transformation. It had become smaller, covered in black fur, and the burning substance that had earlier struck her exoskeleton emanated from its mouth. She sent a message to her hive, communicating to her sole four remaining children, [ABOVE US], her voice conveying both fury and distress. Her children looked up, poised for any sudden moves from the creature.
They prepared to pounce, intending to eliminate it before it could harm her, only to pause as flowers began to manifest on the creature's body. Within seconds, the flowers opened, and if her eyes were capable of displaying emotion, they would have widened in terror and rage. The instant the green mist touched her children, their connection to her weakened, and she comprehended what was transpiring: "IT WAS TRYING TO TAKE HER CHILDREN ONCE AGAIN." With all her might, she willed her hive, [THAT'S ENOUGH!], releasing her children from whatever state they were in, swiftly commanding them to avoid any contact with the green mist.
She then ordered her children to attack the creature simultaneously and with all their might. Her children screeched, acknowledging their queen's orders while seething with rage toward the creature before them, infuriated that it had dared to try controlling them and severing their bond with their queen. They moved in unison, only to witness the creature's sudden disappearance and reappearance right in front of one of her children, its eyes shining with a yellow glow. Following this encounter, the affected child transmitted a message of distress to the hive, unable to aid its siblings as its legs turned to stone. The queen could only watch as another child had its face transformed into stone before collapsing, severing its connection to the hive. The queen's blood ran colder than ever before as she ordered her remaining children to kill the creature at any cost. They fanned out, emerging in front of it within a fraction of a second, only for the creature to turn and face them. Its eyes glowed yellow once more, and her last two children fell lifeless. And so, the queen could do nothing but watch...
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