tls123

Boy were these few months a struggle but I've finally returned (maybe) to continue the story. This chapter may seem a little rushed because I just wanted to get it out. I also haven't edited it so there may be some mistakes... I also gotta reread a few chapters cause I've forgotten how the system operates. Anyway, here's a new chapter. I hope you enjoy!

⌈Damnit! Six, hurry and control those lights of yours!⌋

⌈There's something disturbing my focus. I can't do anything about it until whatever it is that's attacking my mind is dealt with!⌋

Raya instinctively glanced toward the hive tree. What she saw was a shocking scene of the tree covered in bloodshot eyes. What sent a chill down her spine was that the unfocused eyes glancing about in all directions suddenly stopped and locked their sights on Six, who was a beacon of light in the dark.

⌈Kkhhh?!⌋

⌈Hold on, Six! I know what's causing the interference.⌋

Raya left those words before hurriedly dashing across the barren wasteland. Grotesque creatures covered in needles, tentacles, and ominous black goo mindlessly rushed toward her but were sliced apart by Raya's claws and tails.

Even though she had already eaten several of these mutated creatures, the taste was incredibly bitter and stuck to the walls of her teeth and throat, constantly trying to eat away at her flesh.

It was fortunate for her that these monsters weren't after her and only had their mind on Six so the monster swarm was rarely easy to bypass.

The problem, however, was what came after that.

The hive tree's tentacles were replaced by the ominous eyes and dug around under the soil like tree roots.

Suddenly, one of the tentacles burst through the ground beneath Raya and almost pierced her stomach. She barely managed to evade the attack but wasn't left unscathed as the hair-like feelers hardened into steel-like needles, even sharper than her own claws.

Glancing around her, she noticed that several hundreds of monsters had their vitals, mostly their stomach or chest, punctured by these tentacles. These tentacles ruthlessly drained the blood and guts from these monsters and then pulled their dried corpse underground.

What Raya felt at that time wasn't disgust or fear but rather excitement. Excited about the possibility of obtaining a new and powerful offensive ability if she managed to devour this... thing.

With that thought in mind, her enthusiasm for killing the hive tree rose several degrees. Her mind and focus sharpened, and her muscles screamed as they were pulled taut, exerted to their maximum potential.

Raya constantly evaded several tentacles that broke through the ground, occasionally taking a jab at their fleshy parts.

⌈Raya!!! I can't hold on much longer... Y-you won't leave me behind, will you?⌋

⌈Hold on a little longer! I'm almost there!⌋

Six clenched her teeth tightly and tried her best to survive.

The tendrils on her back whipped around her body madly leaving behind after images and stirring up the wind. Everything they touched was obliterated into meat pulp or split into pieces, displaying the terrifying power they contained.

After a time, Six discovered a new ability that she could use which allowed her to mentally disturb the surrounding environment, much like the invisible force that was acting on her mind currently. She put this power to the test and was amazed by the effect it had on immobilizing the surrounding monsters in a radius of 6 or 7 meters. This gave her the much-needed breather between waves of the seemingly endless swarm of mutant creatures.

Gradually, the bright blue luminescent lights pulsing along Six' body began to darken till it turned a deep red. Not only did the monster swarm notice this change, but the hive tree and Raya too noticed the anomaly, becoming extremely agitated.

Six, who was killing everything that approached her, suddenly stopped her actions and wrapped herself with her tendrils. A second later, Six erupted from the bright red sphere with an even stronger momentum. The tips of her tendrils extended and split open. The red lights charged from her spine along the tendril to the tip and finally shooting out a burning red hot stream of acid, disintergrating everything it touched.

The first wave of mutated creatures died under Six' fiery onslaught.

However, more were soon to come, and even stronger mutated creatures were among their ranks.

Meanwhile, Raya had found herself in a bad spot, surrounded on all sides by the hive trees tentacles occassionally lashing toward her at extreme speeds. Evading the few that threatened to attack her vitals, Raya counterattacked by ripping out chunks of its flesh and eating it with relish. Unfortunately she only got bio-energy points with no signs of obtaining a new skill.

A dozen more tentacles arrived on all sides, hidden beneath the black soil. Raya's figure constantly darted between the monster corpses and the spiked tentacles quickly arriving before the hive tree. However, it was only then that she realized that not only had the hive tree grown larger in size, but the eyes were no longer locked onto Six who was rampaging in the distance, instead they were all focused on the bold alien before it. A heavy oppressive force weighed down on her that affected her mental psyche and focus, similar to underwater pressure but several times lethal and from all directions, not just above.

The sudden force exerted on her body caused Raya to stiffen, freezing on the spot and allowing the hive tree to finally succeed on landing a hit!

Raya's left arm drew several arcs in the air before hitting the cracked ground. Several tentacles dug out from the ground and wrapped around the severed limb pulling it underground. The eyes on the hive tree seemed to curve upwards in a sneer, surprising Raya, but she too had a sneer, mocking the hive tree. The hive tree was confused at first but then realized something was wrong. What should have happened was the blood, tendons, and muscles drained from Raya's arm but instead its tentacles were burned, corroded away by a viscious acid!

Raya took the opportunity when it was briefly stunned to forcefully endure the pressure and leap onto the hive tree. Her jaw opened wide and the large eye that peered into the depths of the abyss saw something staring back at it.

Bang!

The inner jaw thrust into the eye biting and sucking the soft jelly like substance behind it in one swift motion.

Some of the eyes retreated and were replaced by tentacles that tried to attack Raya, but she used the acid dripping from her shoulder wound to burn a wide whole into its trunk. Using a skill she never thought she'd use, Raya burrowed into the organic tree leaving a green trail of acid that ate away at the hive trees body, causing it to writhe in pain mindlessly swinging its tentacles around in anger. Raya dug around the inside of the hive tree, avoiding the tentacles that squirmed around inside like intestines. Like a parasite infecting its host, Raya swam around inside the hive tree, clawing, biting, chewing, and swallowing large chunks of it, killing the hive tree from the inside out. It tried to replenish its lost energy and blood through devouring the mutated creatures, but the rate at which Raya attacked and consumed its insides was faster than the transfer of nutrients through the tentacles into its main body. Thus the hive tree soon died ironically, devoured from the inside by Raya.