Chrysalis

[How's it going over there Tiny? Crinis?]

[We'll win, but it's going to take time!]

[Take care and make sure of it, we don't need to rush!]

I don't think… although, looking at Grokus as the massive demon looms over me, that I'll be able to finish this quickly. If the gravity bomb doesn't manage to inflict massive damage on him, then I have no idea what will! I pull back a little from the city lord, giving myself room to plot my next manoeuvre. The area where I bit him has already healed, if I damaged him at all.

[You're actually a tough nut to crack, aren't you Grokus?]

The huge demon swings his body around to face me head on.

[Food is strength in this world. How can anyone be stronger than me? I've been consuming hundreds of Biomass a day for longer than you've been alive, and you want to challenge me? You're weak! Just another snack!]

we find a tier eight demon and you can impress them with

all maxed out, but imagine if he'd spent all that time practicing his Skills instead of sitting on his backside eating. He'd be so much more powerful, pushing his abilities to a new rank, training new Skills that might help him in this fight. Instead all he can do is endlessly brag about how much food he's consumed. Such

food that you've wasted will be going to a better

and we can see if I wasted it

air as we circle one another neither one willing to make the first move. This suits me down to the ground, every second that passes makes my gravity bomb stronger, it's already growing dense enough that he must be

both of the city lord's mouths he rumbles closer, once again moving with that deceptive speed. I lower my centre of gravity and prepare to dodge, waiting for my antennae to tell me how he's going to reach for me. The closer he gets, the sharper the pain in my stomach becomes, the acid boiling away as thoughts of food swim in

of me, only then do I realise, he's not going to grab! That's why I can't see anything! The moment I make the realisation I shift my weight and dash to the side, putting all of my force into my legs. The moment I move, my antennae blare with alarm and I can sense the hand coming for

as I react faster than is humanly possible, shifting my direction by digging my claws into the ground. Shifting directions for a mass of my size isn't easy and my muscles and joints scream as I push them to their limits as that giant hand reaches for me, growing so large as

it, Grokus' claws scratch down my left flank as he snatches at the air I occupied only a moment ago. It's only a glancing blow, but deep grooves have been cut into my diamond carapace. This is first stratum versus third after all, I can't expect too

arm and locking my mandibles into place. Hopefully this will

OMEN CHOMP COMBO!

drains away rapidly as I pump my jaws with insane speed, snapping them shut five times in a second before I jump away, not giving the huge demon a chance to recover his balance and grab at me again. The five chomp combo is just about as much as I can manage at the moment. Luckily I have so many ants within range of the Vestibule

guy made of?! He might be a tier above me, fine,

smart, you should crawl back up to where you belong. This is the land of demons. You're beyond foolish if you