Kris vs The Rat King

With his attention fixated on both the rats and the vast neural network that made up their complex, he noticed the exact moment their shock turned into panic, and that's when he moved.

All of a sudden, the rats were scrambling, seeking to get to the edges of the falling platform that plunged towards the depths below, a faint red glow already filling the air.

However, this scrambling wasn't instant for a simple reason.

Greed.

Their prey was still in front of this. He was so close, and the thought of coming so far, only to be forced to flee, was probably frustrating to them.

However, survival took priority. But the problem with that was their hesitation.

And Kris struck like a viper.

All of a sudden, chains burst forth from around him like a tide, smashing into the mountain and the falling land around it.

In an instant, thousands of rats were eviscerated by the sheer force. But that wasn't his main goal.

No, instead, those chains he unleashed all spread out like a massive net, and in a few moments, they had interlocked with each other, creating a massive cage around the falling piece of land.

The rats closest to the chains immediately started biting into the cage to eat, but his chains, while on their diet. Couldn't be devoured instantly, and by the time they ate through them, they would already be in the lava.

However, he still wasn't done.

The rat king was in the center of the mountain, and he didn't want it to have a source of food and protection when they hit the lake, so he clenched his fist, and suddenly, the chains started to constrict.

Countless rats were crushed, and a few managed to get through the gaps in the chains only to fall into the depths below.

The chains output a terrifying crushing force, and the mountain starts to crack as it was being broken apart.

The rats bit at the chains with fervor, but Kris wasn't letting it happen, and he simply constricted the chains more.

Titanic cracking sounds boomed through the large hole like lightning, and pieces of rock fragmented before falling apart as Kris systematically broke the mountain apart.

More and more rats were crushed or exposed by his efforts, and in just five seconds, the mountain looked like it was just a few moments away from crumbling completely.

The red glow was intense now, and Kris could feel the absurd heat even through his armor, and a bit of sweat was beginning to gather around his brow.

But he didn't stop what he was doing. The vast tapestry of nerves was now blinking rapidly in panic and rage, and numerous rats tried to swarm him to stop what was happening, but at the last second, two chains wrapped themselves around his waist and shot into the walls of the large hole, abruptly stopping him while the mountain still plummeted.

Kris clenched his fist one more time, and the entire mountain broke apart.

The large chunks of rock fell into a vast underground cavern that was filled with blistering magma, the pieces raising massive sprays of the stuff as they splashed into it violently.

At the same time, Kris felt the large web of nerves suddenly break apart at an astonishing rate. The rats were plunged into the lake, and they were incinerated in moments by the sheer heat.

Kris watched quietly as this happened, his gaze cold and calculating, completely unlike the meek boy who could barely string forth a proper sentence.

He watched the lava as he felt tapestry break apart more and more until it it was almost completely gone.

... Then the breaking stopped.

Kris narrowed his eyes.

"Tch." He couldn't help but click his tongue as a series of weak signals could be felt, all of them clumped together, forming something similar to a ball.

The signals on the outer edges were getting destroyed rapidly, but more signals were appearing just as quickly. Moreover, the signal in the center, while weak, was rapidly regaining power.

'Crazy thing.' Kris thought as he undid the chains holding him without hesitation, and he plummeted.

As it turned out, before the rat king hit the lava, it made a large number of rats cover its body like a shield of flesh.

The lava started burning away at it quickly, and the heat still seeped through and burned its lungs. But rats were tenacious, if nothing else.

It rapidly created more rats to fill in for those that got destroyed. Moreover, true to its ability, it began to make its spawn devour the surrounding kava and transfer the nutrients to it right before they died.

It used this energy to produce more rats. Moreover, the lava was as rich in energy as it was hot, allowing the rat king to swiftly regain its energy.

The balance was precarious now, but Kris was sure that the creature would make the tides tip in its favor. Moreover, if it could properly create rats that adapted to the lava to eat it... It might actually reach a higher, more terrifying stage.

That's why he made a decision.

'Hot.' Kris couldn't help but crease his brows as the intense heat washed over him, growing in intensity as he descended more and more.

All sorts of warning signals were being transmitted to him by his armor as it tried to fight off the heat. However, that wasn't its only problem.

There was also no oxygen.

Kris could supplement his lungs with his energy, but the rate at which he burned through his energy to do other things gave him 7 minutes at most to kill the king which was rapidly adapting to its environment.

But that was fine.

He didn't need that long.

Just as he was about to plunge into the lava, chains appeared and wrapped around his body like a cocoon, leaving absolutely no gaps as he finally entered the thick lava.

Immediately, he felt his chains being burned away at an extreme rate, and he had to constantly supplement them with his energy just to stop them from getting destroyed.

Moreover, they rapidly transferred the heatbkf the magma, but thankfully, he could prevent that from becoming an issue simply by not allowing the heat to transfer. They were his chain after all, reducing the conductive abilities wasn't that hard.

Still, he had to be quick.

Without hesitation, he moved towards wherethe nerve signals were by using his chains to direct him.

As soon as he moved closer to the cluster of signals, the magma began to churn violently. Massive bubbles of molten rock burst around him, each one sending waves of blistering heat through the chamber. Through the haze, Kris finally saw it.

The Rat King was no longer the grotesque mound of flesh it once was. What floated before him was a shifting sphere of red and black rats, melting and reforming continuously as if its body couldn't decide whether to burn or heal. Its new hide glowed faintly orange, the red glow light tracing its veins like magma-filled arteries.

Kris's expression didn't change. If anything, the sight only solidified his resolve.

He extended his hand, and hundreds of chains burst forth in every direction. Each one gleamed faintly red as some of the surrounding heat bit at them, forming glowing streaks that lit up the dark magma chamber like a crimson spider web.

The Rat King reacted instantly. The swarm split apart, rats leaping and latching onto the chains like leeches.

They didn't just bite, though. Instead, they melted into the chains, eating away at them from the inside as the creature tried to corrupt and assimilate his constructs.

'How persistent...' Kris thought, and tightened his fist.

Immediately, the chains began to vibrate at high frequency. The molten rats exploded one after another as shockwaves rippled through the magma, scattering glowing chunks of flesh that dissolved instantly. But the creature was learning.

The molten rats began to fuse together into larger forms. Twisted, half-melted things with burning eyes and liquid fangs. They were smaller copies of the Rat King, but each one was already significantly more powerful than any rat the previous tide produced.

In seconds, Kris was surrounded.

His expression remained calm, almost detached.

'I don't have time for this.'

He spread his arms wide, and every single chain he'd created began to twist violently. What followed was chaos incarnate. The magma erupted outward as countless chains began spinning, intersecting, and slicing through the molten beasts like a metal storm.

The entire underground cavern lit up with the blinding glow of liquid fire and energy discharge. The vibrations cracked the stone roof above, sending molten rain falling around him.

Through the carnage, Kris pushed forward. Every meter was heavy as more lava pressed against his protective sheild. Every second, he felt the heat eating at his energy reserves. His armor was starting to warp slightly from the stress.

He ignored it all.

Finally, the chains parted the molten tide, revealing the Rat King. Or rather, its core, as it had fused itself with the burning and undulating mass. A heart of molten black bone pulsating violently within a sphere of liquid rats.

Kris stopped. His eyes gleamed faintly, and his voice came out in a low whisper, though, no sound was carried without any air.

"Found you."

The chains around him began to spin like drills as they converged into a single point in front of him.

"I'll end you here."

He thrust them forward.

The magma exploded once more as his chains lunged, tearing through the molten tide toward the core.

And just before the impact, a massive, distorted screech shook the cavern as the core pulsed violently, releasing a wave of energy that blew back even Kris.

When the light faded, he hovered in the magma, breathing heavily. The core was still there — cracked, but not destroyed.

Its pulse was stronger now.

"...It adapted," Kris muttered, his tone colder than the void above.

And as he steadied himself, dozens of molten eyes opened within the lava around him, all fixed squarely on him.

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