Chapter 277 - 377:Worms.
His expression changed.
"There are tunnels everywhere."
Ravenna looked at him.
"How many?"
"Too many to even count. "
He focused deeper, something moved.
"Left."
Ravenna immediately turned. A small pale shape crawled out of a crack, then another, then five more. The first worm dropped from the wall.
Silver drew his sword.
[Space Slash Lv2 Activated.]
The blade left its sheath in a flash followed by a crescent-shaped slash crossed the darkness. The first worm was cut cleanly in half. The second disappeared beneath Silver’s blade.
The third tried to crawl toward Ravenna. She stepped forward.
Flame Edge
Fire erupted along the length of her sword, her blade becoming wrapped in bright flames.
She swung.
The worm was sliced apart, the heat cauterizing the wound instantly. Ravenna stepped through the opening.
Burning Arc
Her sword swept outward. A curved wave of fire followed the blade and tore through the cluster emerging from the tunnel. Several worms burned before they could even reach the ground.
Antony stared in amazement.
"That’s one way to deal with them."
Ravenna didn’t answer as more were coming. Silver’s Spatial Sense picked them up before anyone else.
"Above."
Ravenna looked up.
Three worms dropped from the ceiling. She stepped backward.
Silver moved.
[Short-Step Lv2 Activated]
Space compressed beneath his feet. His body disappeared from where he had been standing and reappeared beside Ravenna.
His sword flashed.
[Space Slash Lv2 Activated]
The air itself seemed to split as a crescent slash cut through space itself. The three worms were severed before they reached the ground.
Silver landed smoothly. Ravenna looked at him.
"Show-off."
"You were about to get hit."
"I had it." She smiled. "Stop stealing my kills I’ll call you if I’m overwhelmed."
Silver laughed.
"Fine, I was just trying to help."
Another wave emerged. This time there were dozens. The worms poured from holes in the walls and ceiling, their pale segmented bodies twisting over one another as they rushed toward the group.
The Rank Fours immediately moved into formation.
"Hold the line!" Larry shouted.
The front line stepped forward, weapons crashing down. The first wave of worms was destroyed almost instantly. But the problem became apparent immediately, there were too many. For every ten that died, another twenty emerged.
Silver’s Spatial Sense continued expanding.
[Spatial Sense Lv2 Activated]
The cave around him became a living map; there were tunnels, chambers and movement of hundreds of small creatures. He could feel them.
"There’s a tunnel behind us."
Larry looked at him.
"How far?"
"Thirty meters."
"Can they reach the surface?"
"I don’t know."
Larry’s expression hardened.
"Then seal it."
Silver nodded. He moved toward the tunnel as two worms rushed from the opening.
[Short-Step Lv2 Activated]
Silver vanished and reappeared inside the tunnel. The worms lunged at him immediately.
[Space Slash Lv2 Activated]
A spatial distortion inform of a crescent tore through them. Silver turned toward the tunnel. It was much deeper than expected.
His Spatial Sense expanded.
He froze.
There were hundreds of worms beneath the ground, maybe thousands. The colony was enormous.
"Silver!"
Ravenna’s voice came from behind. He immediately turned. Three larger worms had emerged from the walls. They were almost twice the size of the others.
Silver’s eyes narrowed.
[Insight]
Information appeared.
[Teir 3 Parasitic Burrow Worm]
[Danger Level: Moderate]
[Special Trait: Acidic Secretion]
One opened its mouth and a stream of liquid shot toward him.
Silver moved instantly.
[Short-Step Lv2 Activated]
He disappeared and the acid struck the stone behind him. The rock began dissolving.
Silver’s expression hardened.
"Don’t get hit by their saliva."
Ravenna raised her sword.
"I noticed."
She charged.
Fire Step
Flames erupted beneath her feet and her body accelerated forward. She crossed the distance almost instantly.
The first worm tried to bite her.
Flame Edge
Her sword sliced through its head. She spun around almost immediately.
Burning Arc
A crescent of fire struck the second creature which recoiled. The third attacked from behind.
Silver appeared beside Ravenna.
[Space Slash Lv2 Activated]
His blade flashed and the worm’s body split apart.
Ravenna looked at him.
"You really like appearing behind me."
"You really like getting attacked from behind."
"That’s because you’re supposed to cover me."
"I am."
She smiled and shook her head. They continued forward. The Rank Fours were pushing deeper into the cave. The number of worms increased the farther they went and the walls became covered with a strange organic substance.
Silver’s Spatial Sense detected empty spaces behind the walls and entire chambers where some were filled with worms while others contained clusters of eggs.
He stopped.
"Wait."
Everyone looked at him.
"What?"
Silver pointed toward the wall.
"There’s a chamber behind there."
Victor examined it.
"How do you know?"
Silver paused. He couldn’t exactly explain Spatial Sense.
"I can feel the space, I have really really good perception."
The contractor stared at him. Silver expected another dismissive comment; instead, the man simply nodded.
"Break it."
Marcus stepped forward his fist raised. It struck the wall and the rock shattered. Behind it was a chamber.
Everyone went silent.
The floor was covered in eggs; thousands of them. Pale, translucent sacs covered the ground, walls, and ceiling. Some were small while others were nearly the size of a human torso.
Ravenna’s expression hardened.
"Those are eggs?"
Larry nodded grimly.
"Yes."
Silver’s eyes narrowed. Elena who was proficient in research stepped closer.
"Some of these are already mature."
Silver looked at her.
"So, they could hatch at any time?"
Larry’s expression changed.
"How soon?"
She swallowed.
"Some of them..."
A movement came from one of the sacs. Everyone froze.
"...could hatch within hours."
Silence filled the chamber. Larry immediately raised his weapon.
"Burn it."
Ravenna stepped forward.
Blazing Guard
Flames spread around her body, forming a protective aura. She raised her sword.
Burning Arc
A massive arc of fire swept across the chamber and the eggs began burning. But Silver immediately sensed movement deeper within the cave.
His eyes widened.
"There are more."
"Where?"
"Everywhere."
His Spatial Sense expanded. The colony was far larger than they had imagined. Tunnels connected the chambers,chambers connected to larger chambers, and somewhere far deeper... Something enormous moved.
Silver’s breathing slowed.
He could feel it, a presence. It wasn’t merely another worm but something larger that wasn’t moving like the others. It remained completely still for several seconds before shifting again.
Silver’s expression became serious.
"The queen or something but it’s enormous."
Larry looked at him.
"You’re sure?"
Silver nodded.
"I think so."
"How far?"
Silver closed his eyes.
[Spatial Sense Lv2]
The cave became transparent to his perception. He could feel the tunnels, the eggs, the worms, the movement, and then... there. Something enormous was inside a massive chamber; a huge body curled around the center.
Silver opened his eyes.
"Deep."
"How deep?"
"Far enough, I can’t really estimate."
Larry looked at the others.
"Then we keep moving."
The Rank Fours advanced.
Ravenna stepped beside Silver.
"You’re okay?"
Silver nodded.
"Just using too much Spatial Sense."
She frowned.
"Don’t push yourself."
"I won’t."
She stared at him.
"Promise."
Silver smiled.
"Promise."
They moved deeper.
The worms became more aggressive, to top it off, they no longer attacked randomly but began coordinating. Some rushed toward the front, others attacked from the walls while some tried to crawl around the group and reach the rear.
Silver immediately understood.
"They’re trying to surround us." Larry shouted. "Protect the rear!"
Ravenna moved.
Fire Step
She burst backward as a worm lunged at her throat. Her sword rose and fell.
Flame Edge
The creature was cut apart but another came from the ceiling.
Ravenna turned.
Blazing Guard
A wall of flame erupted around her. The worm recoiled from the heat. She stepped through the flames.
Burning Arc
The creature was destroyed from the heat. Silver watched her for a moment. Her control had improved considerably. She wasn’t wasting fire anymore; every movement had purpose and every flame was placed where it needed to be.
Silver turned back toward the tunnels.
[Spatial Sense Lv2 Activated]
His perception expanded again. The worms were everywhere but so was the path.
"Left!"
The group turned.
"Then right!"
They followed Silver’s directions. He guided them through the tunnels, avoiding dead ends and chambers packed with eggs.
They were making progress but Silver could feel something changing. The deeper they went, the stronger the presence became, and the worms were becoming larger more aggressive and organized.
He tightened his grip on his sword. The extermination had only just begun.