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We were overwhelmed. The Beetle Queen evolved into the Swarm Queen through the overpowered Cosmic Gem Fragment, a [Plot Device] that appeared out of the blue and made things only harder for my caterpillar's slice of life. The power she attained was no joke, and this Gem seemed to be somewhat sentient, absorbing her soul and magic power and enchanting her through the roof. Perhaps because she already had a high base Divinity stats, she was able to "ascend" somehow, and attain more capabilities that Gods of Genesis had, or something.
I couldn't quite get it yet, it felt more like the Cosmic Gem worked through mysterious means that even defied my own logic. If the theories of the ancient gods were true, then this gem came from the fragmented soul of a truly frighteningly powerful entity in the cosmos outside, or even beyond that…
I had just recovered my body but I lacked proper mass to enhance my physical abilities. I still had my MP and I was constantly draining HP and MP from the Swarm Queen, although this new form of hers was making it more difficult to passively drain her HP and MP, making things only worse…
Fiere had her MP emptied and the twins too, they were weakened and scared shitless. But I quickly loaded them with my MP as I used half of what I had collected, quickly beginning to absorb the mana of my environment instead, as there were many surrounding Blood Crystals everywhere, loaded with mana to no end! If I couldn't drain from her as much as I wanted, I could get my MP from there.
FLUOOOSH!
Hundreds of blue-colored currents of Mana began to flow all across the caves, reaching me. However, the Swarm Queen quickly realized that, as her monstrous, chimeric body quickly shapeshifted, atop the enormous insect jaws of her body, a humanoid torso emerged, more beautiful than before and resembling a femme fatale at its finest.
"I've seen through your tricks!" She laughed, a flash of cosmic light bathed all of us, suddenly, my Draining Powers weakened even more, as she started to drain the magic of the blood crystals faster than I could! So that's how she's recovering energy, she's draining it herself!
However, unlike me, she cannot drain the energy from living beings, can't she? Only from these caves… if I could somehow get her out of here, perhaps it wouldn't be so hard to weaken her and then crush her once and for all…
FLAAAASH!
Another wave of cosmic light was unleashed, as I quickly defended myself by coating my body with my Divine Element Embodiment of Purification, which resisted her cosmic and chaotic light by a bit. I quickly dragged Fiere and the twins behind me as I protected them. They could do it themselves, but barely.
"Nnnggh…! I can't even more, my body…! T-This pressure…" Eriant muttered.
"Ahhh… Ugh… Is this it? Are we going to die so soon?!" Asked Ariant.
"Kireina! What about Black and White?!" Asked Fiere.
"Both are with me." I said, showing her they were in both of my hands in an instant. "I cannot throw them recklessly or she'll break them. She got the power to do that…"
"She does?!" Fiere asked, gritting her teeth. "I am out of arrows too… But I could make some out of Mana, the effect won't be the same though…"
"I'll charge in front and you two run, tell Luminous and the rest to blast this entire cave system with everything they have!" I said.
"What?! But what about you?!" Asked Fiere.
"Don't mind me, I am resilient and hardier than you think." I said with a smile.
"Fine…"
Fiere nodded.
"But don't you dare die! You have yet to save Lady Elfina!"
Fiere quickly ran out of the mountain alongside the twins, who lifted her off the ground using flying sands conjured through Desert Spirit Magic.
"Hmph! You're not going anywhere! [Abyssal Swarm]!"
TRUUUMMM…!
Suddenly, all the monstrous bugs she created overflowed with cosmic and chaotic energy, rushing at an incredible speed towards me, trying to get pass me to catch Fiere and the Desert Elven Twins!
"You're not getting past through me!" I roared, quickly trying to shapeshift, but the Cosmic Essence covering my body was like some sort of fucking radiation, my cells were not dividing as I wanted nor shaping as I ordered them properly! She was even fucking up my shapeshifting!
Crack… crack…!
However, once more, I heard the cracking noises of eggshells cracking.
I remember an egg… but that Egg I've been waiting to hatch was placed inside my Item Box.
How come it is hatching inside?!
Crack… CRACK!
The eggshell continued to crack, suddenly shattering into pieces, as an enormous chaotic presence emerged from within the egg!
FLUOOOSSH!
The enormous presence, suddenly broke through space and time itself, pushing through everything as it shattered the empty air in front of me!
CRAAASH!
Glass-like pieces of space itself shattered and broke open upon the monstrosity that has been reborn.
"BUUUUUUUBU!"
And it was nobody else than Bubu!
"Bubu?! You literally broke out of the pocket dimension of my damn Item Box?!" I asked in shock. "And you can even move in that time stopped dimension too?! W-What?!"
"Bubu!" Bubu defied logic as usual, as he nodded.
His body has evolved and changed as well! The small Caterpillar Larva from before became the size of… a car! He was now covered in sharp metallic and black scales all over his body. His chunky legs became strong and muscular, and resembled those of a young dragon. he even gained large black wings, emanating a deadly shadow abyssal chaotic aura!
His caterpillar face changed a bit, now gaining an enormously sharp set of draconic fangs alongside his bug-like black colored jaws. Three pairs of red eyes covered his face, as spiraling draconic horns grew out of his body. He was around three meters tall, and four meters long… it looked like the most amazing hybrid between a caterpillar, a rhinoceros beetle, and a dragon I could had ever imagined!
"GROOOAAARRRRR!"
And he roared like a dragon too!
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