Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] Chapter 200: Book 3: Chapter 51: Solo-Fight II

Read chapter 200 of Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] by TTReynolds on NovelPedia.

Book 3: Chapter 51: Solo-Fight II Chapter 51: Solo-Fight II Behind them, the skittering grew louder, closer; the hive was awake now and giving them its full attention. Alex shoved Devon forward, glancing back only once at the shattered carcass of the humanoid chimera. The corpse was already twitching with movement as smaller beasts crawled across it, harvesting the body. “Move faster!” Eric shouted. The squad stumbled, limped, and hauled themselves into the tunnel just as the first answering screech tore through the cavern. The tunnel swallowed them, narrow stone walls scraping shoulders and armor as they forced their way forward. The sound of pursuit was relentless, with skittering claws, snapping mandibles, the guttural clicks of the hive echoing from every turn. “Sharp left!” Holly shouted as she darted ahead, wind aether flaring at her heels as she carved space for those carrying the wounded. The squad followed her, stumbling through tight turns and over uneven ground. A shadow lunged from behind them, one of the raptor-like soldier chimeras. Alex twisted, his palm igniting as he hurled a [Wind Lance] down the passage. The blast illuminated the walls in azure light before splitting the beast’s torso open and collapsing a portion of the ceiling behind it. “That won’t stop them!” Kate called out as another chimera clawed free of the rubble, already shrieking in fury. Spells lit the dark—Eric’s lightning crackled in branching arcs, Selka’s daggers sang as they struck from shadows, Rynel fired a series of shimmering arrows and Myrae painted walls with runes of light that shattered with thunderous cracks. They rounded another corner into a slightly wider space, all of them stumbling inside, gasping for air. Lance and Doran slammed their hands into the walls, channeling earth-aether to seal the passage. Boulders crumbled down in a spray of dust, forming a hasty barricade. For two seconds, there was silence. Then the wall bulged, cracked, and with horrifying ease, the chimeras tore through the barrier. Their claws plunged into the stone like it was soft wood and their bodies wriggled and dug through with unnatural strength. “They go through it like fucking styrofoam!” Garret cursed, yanking his sword up from its sheath just as dust exploded around them. “Go! Go!” Alex yelled. They fled once again, stumbling through another tunnel. They scrambled through a series of turns, Holly scouting ahead and felling any chimera that she came across to keep the path clear. They continued their chase for a few minutes, until the tunnel suddenly opened ahead of them once again. The squad burst out into a massive cavern, so wide the ceiling was lost in shadow. Stalagmites stood like teeth along the floor, and a faint, bioluminescent glow pulsed across fungal growths scattered on the walls. The air was damp, and hummed with some deeper energy that made Alex’s skin break out in goosebumps. They staggered into the open chamber, breaths heaving, the sound of skittering still chasing them from behind. The squad wheeled around, no longer running, and set their backs against the wide-open cavern. “Form up!” Eric’s strong voice boomed over the entire area. “Chokepoint them here, we will turn the tunnel mouth into a killing field!” The first chimera burst into view right after he said this. It was serpentine, with petals for wings and far too many legs scrabbling at the stone. Before it even cleared the archway, an arrow from Rynel pinned its jaw to its chest. A half-second later, Kate’s firebolt slammed into it, detonating and plastering bits of flesh across the walls. But more poured in. Dozens. Claws gleamed wet, eyes burned bright in the dim fungal glow. Azure energy flashed as Alex unleashed a volley of [Wind Lance] bolts, each strike booming like a gunshot and staggering the oncoming swarm. Spears of lightning crawled over the front line as Eric dashed forward, his spell splashing waves of electricity into the pack. “Not through me! ” Ghrukk roared