Chrysalis

In desperation, I turn the final stages of forming the gravity bomb over to my main mind, the only brain I have that specialises in handling gravity mana. I can immediately feel the difference, but I still need the support of the sub-minds to keep things flowing as I continue to piece together the biggest bomb I've ever made. When I let this go, it's going to get messy around here…

"Back off a little more!" I warn the Colony, "make sure you get a solid grip on something!"

After a moment I add.

"That goes double for you, Protectant! Create some space and hold on tight!"

I've no doubt that my defenders have been hovering closer than they should be against a foe like Grokus, and the odds are that they've taken a good chunk of damage from his aura effect just trying to stay near to me. Claws crossed they take my warning seriously, it'd be a massive waste of the Colony's resources.

[Unleash your spell!] the city lord taunts me as he rumbles forward, each step causing the very rock beneath our feet to crumble. [I almost hunger for it! I hunger for your despair!]

Enough of this guy's freaking mouth already! Sharp pain stabs through my insides as I skitter out of the way of his grasping hands, prompting me to activate my healing gland once again. The soothing liquid regenerates my missing health in short order but the rate of decrease is continuing to ramp up. Eventually I'll run out of juice and be eaten up from the inside out. This is one heck of a nasty power!

But I won't have to worry about that… I hope. My gravity bomb is ready.

ball of mana that I've created. It practically pulses with dark light, the only thing in the stratum with a larger appetite than the tier seven

this!] I yell as the spell is

moment I release it, the world fades to black and I hunch my body low to the ground, clinging to the rock with my claws as hard as I can. Even so, I feel my weight lift for a horrifying second as the spell travels away from me, trying to draw me after it. A second later

HOOOOOOOOOOWWWWLLLLLLL!

the gravity bomb passes near, sucking away everything it can. Bounding forward to close the gap when I launched the spell, the city lord grins wide as he sees my spell unleashed. Sensing the sheer volume

a feeling he might do this, he wants to take the spell head on and come out standing on the other side, relying on whatever strange resistance

dragging stone, ash, fire and anything not nailed down toward the centre of the bomb where it will be crushed completely. I can't even see how Grokus is handling it, the sphere itself

HOOOOOOWWWWWWWLLLLLL!!!

the air shrieks and light fades away. All I can do is bury my head and grip with my

the notification. Give me the experience notification! There's no way he survives this! I don't care how much of a chonk lord he is with a resistance to magical effects, there's no way you can eat a gravity bomb this size and be standing on the other side of it. I can't even imagine what it would be like in there for him, and frankly

seems like long minutes is most likely just several drawn out seconds, but eventually the spell fades

know that my opponent isn't dead. Without the notification from Gandalf, he must have survived

Grokus is alive, but he probably would rather not be. What remains of the city lord is a twitching mess with a rather large hole chewed out of the middle. I find it shocking that he's actually still living in that condition. A few chomps ought to put an end to him. I approach

I almost can't believe my eyes. Starting at the base, but shifting rapidly up the body, the entire form of the city lord begins to regrow, flesh and bone and

him with everything! He'll be back to normal in a few

advice, I run forward, locking my mandibles into position and unleashing my most powerful