Amidst the spiralling chaos and thunderous tension of the nest, a familiar chime echoed softly in Denwen's ear.
PING.
[System Notification]
But he shoved the screen aside without a glance. Every heartbeat, every twitch of a muscle in this moment could mean the difference between survival and death. He didn't have the luxury of reading.
The ground trembled beneath his boots as five towering black ants encircled him — each one a living weapon cloaked in obsidian exoskeletons and shimmering with a violent purple aura. His crystals flared to life, coating his body in radiant armor. Resonance Armor shimmered like burning ice, reshaping with his breath.
The first ant flickered, disappearing in a blink. A blur of motion — then a monstrous limb cleaved down from above.
Denwen's instincts flared.
BOOOM!
A shockwave erupted from his chest, knocking the ant back mid-strike, forcing it to stabilize as the crystal armor absorbed and reflected the force.
"Heh," Denwen grinned, teeth bloodied. "Resonance Armor isn't just good at receiving damage… it gives a little love back."
Without pause, he spun into a counterattack. His essence surged — an axe of sharpened crystal manifested in his grip mid-swing. The weapon hissed through the air, aiming to carve the ant in two.
But another ant intercepted. A dark blur — a flash of leg.
CRACK!
Denwen's arm twisted grotesquely, flung wide as the incoming limb batted his weapon aside. Before he could reorient, a punch slammed into his chest, launching him backward like a ragdoll.
He smashed through a brittle wall of the nest, tumbling in a mist of debris. Crystals shattered and flaked from his body like broken glass, only to rapidly reform around him.
They weren't charging blindly anymore.
The ants stalked.
Their movements calculated, cold — circling him like predators testing their prey. Their gleaming red eyes locked onto every twitch of his essence.
"Ah," Denwen huffed, rising to his feet with a wince. "So these ones actually have a brain."
He exhaled slowly. Blood trickled down his temple. He raised his arms, armor crackling as he forced his mind to remain clear.
His eyes narrowed, glowing faintly with inner light. Now or never.
CRYSTAL BIND.
The ground pulsed as jagged streaks of crystal burst outward from his body like spiraling vines. They darted forward — twisting, seeking, reaching for the ants like serpents with fanged tips.
One ant lunged forward—only to suddenly veer left, avoiding the reach of the binding shards.
Too slow.
Denwen turned, sensing danger.
BOOM!
A black blur appeared behind him, its mandibles glowing faintly. He didn't have time to turn.
But his subconscious reacted.
Spiked pillars of crystal erupted from the ground behind him, blocking the strike just in time. The creature hissed, deflecting off with a screech.
Denwen took the chance — and ran.
He ducked low, weaving between narrow chambers and using every ounce of his agility to maneuver through the tightest spaces. The ants gave chase immediately — but they didn't follow like beasts. They flanked. One moved left. Two to the right. One circled wide. The fifth vanished.
He felt it. They were boxing him in.
"I need space. Now," he whispered, pressing a palm to the ground.
Crystals surged beneath him and he pivoted, flinging his hand toward the corridor entrance.
Prism Shard Volley!
Sharp crystalline shards exploded from his palms like rapid gunfire. They peppered the lead ant — only to bounce harmlessly off its hide. Not even scratches. The dark armor of the Rank 3 monsters was like enchanted obsidian.
"Tch… figures," he growled. "Need more power."
He turned sharply, trying to charge his Level 2 Prism Shard, but the energy was slow — too slow. Every second spent gathering power was a second his enemies used to close the gap.
A claw sliced through the air behind him. He ducked — but too late.
SLASH!
Blood sprayed across the wall as a deep gash opened across his back. His armor tried to reform — but another ant slammed into him from the side, shoulder-checking him like a charging beast.
Denwen skidded, crashing into a thick wall. The impact cratered the rock.
He staggered, breath heaving.
More blood.
His crystals struggled to form — and shattered again. Over and over. Form, shatter, reform.
Like paper against blades.
He swung wildly, manifesting a whip of crystals, but the ant caught it mid-air and tugged, flinging Denwen off-balance before slamming a knee into his gut.
He folded.
His vision blurred.
Dog walked.
There was no better term. They didn't just overpower him — they humiliated him. Every move, every instinct, was predicted and countered. His defense was a cruel joke. The only reason he was alive was because of sheer will — and a system that rewarded his suffering.
But it wasn't enough.
Not yet.
Panting, bleeding from a dozen cuts, Denwen made a split-second choice. He slammed both palms into the floor.
"Buy me time," he whispered.
Crystals erupted upward — thick and jagged — weaving into each other like interlocking vines. A dome of light. A multi-layered crystal sphere formed around him, sealing him inside.
The moment the structure finished forming, the pounding began.
BOOM. BOOM. CRACK.
Each hit rattled the dome, cracking outer layers.
Denwen collapsed to one knee, coughing up blood. His vision swam as he pressed his hand against a glowing wound.
His blood shimmered, beginning to crystallize.
"Not yet… not yet…" he breathed, essence burning wildly in his chest.
Layer after layer shattered. He rebuilt them, slower now. His essence fluctuated, unable to keep pace.
CRACK. CRACK. CRACK.
But then… the assault stopped.
Silence.
A breath.
He exhaled sharply, chest rising and falling like a drum. "Did… did they give up?"
His mind raced. Maybe they sensed something. Maybe they got bored. His mind reached for the escape card in his spatial ring, the only true exit he had. He could go out and try again later, death wasn't worth it on the first try.
And then—
SCREEEEECH!!
A sound like hell itself.
One of the ants released a sonic blast that rattled his soul. Denwen screamed, clutching his skull as a migraine unlike anything before crushed his thoughts.
Then—
SCREEEEEEECH!! SCREEEEEEECH!! SCREECH!! SCREECH!!
All five.
Together.
The air cracked. The dome vibrated. His armor faltered. Blood poured from his nose, ears — then his mouth.
The connection to his essence snapped.
His body fell limp.
SHHHHRRIIIIIINGGG—
The crystal dome shattered all at once.
Shards spun in all directions. Denwen lay slumped, barely conscious, just within reach of five advancing gods of war.
But then—
The shards stopped mid-air.
They pulsed.
Glowed.
Then—
PING.
[System Notification]
Event: Your proficiency has risen.
Why do you have to create crystal singularities from scratch when every crystal you made is from your very essence.
Result: ➤ Level 3 Prism Shard Volley unlocked.
Denwen opened his eyes, barely able to lift his head.
A smile, blood-streaked, weak — but defiant.
"Now that's more like it."
The shattered dome's fragments erupted in light.
The ants backed up — too late.
FWOOSH.
Light consumed everything.
And the world went white.