When the investment into the invasion of the fifth came, it came in a tidal wave. Almost overnight the entire world went from no appetite for the invasion to a seemingly infinite one. Once the Atreum Empire opened up their bottomless coffers, every major faction across Pangera followed suit.

Most fascinating was the manner in which the relatively stable alliances of powers began to shift and evolve as a result of this almost reckless drive to conquer the fifth.

A longtime ally of the Golden City, Forrensith, was reluctant to enter the race and dragged their feet, fearful of the catastrophic attempts of the past. As a result, the independent United Mountain Alliance were invited to join the invasion as a co-investor and did so with gusto.

Years later, who does the Child-Emperor favour? The answer is obvious to all.

- Excerpt from ‘Events and Ramifications’ by Xinci

Crinis wallowed deep in her misery. Two whole days without contacting her Master, or even being allowed to speak to her clone. It was torture. Agony! Even worse was that she knew she had brought all of this down on herself. If only she hadn’t gone behind her master’s back, then she wouldn’t have to suffer like this.

Trust had been broken, and the fact that it was entirely her fault made Crinis furious at herself and even more depressed.

All she could do with her bottomless sadness and frustration was take it out upon the hapless monsters who found themselves in front of her.

DIE! DIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIEDIE!!!!

Her hundreds of limbs orchestrated a deadly symphony, each of them articulated by the dispersed neurons and specific organs designed to control them independent of her own thoughts. She grappled and wrestled monsters, snatching them up before her tentacles flexed, digging into her victims with their savage teeth or dragging them over and throwing them into one of her cavernous maws.

In the distance, she could sense her foe approaching. Master had asked her to deal with the creature, so deal with it she would. She would annihilate it with a savage vengeance!

[I’m going to head deeper into the tunnel,] she warned the ants on the defensive platform with her. [Something powerful is coming.]

They acknowledged her and began to reform the ranks while Crinis compressed herself down and began to enter into the shadows. Sinking into the shadow realm brought her a little comfort, as it was the only place as dark as her mood. Through the slivers of light, she could see through the gathered shadows in the tunnel, and she tracked her way towards the approaching monster until finally she was able to see it.

It was powerful, with a core comparable to her own. She could feel the strength of its mana radiating from it as it ripped through the weaker monsters of the tunnel with contemptuous ease.

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Yes… this was something she could properly vent her anger upon.

Surprisingly, it was able to detect her, leaping back before she emerged from the shadows. Something slashed out towards her; rending claws, metres long and wickedly curved, tried to carve into her flesh. Crinis manipulated her shape, blobbing around the strike as she continued to climb out of the darkness and expand to her full size.

Limbs reached out, splitting and expanding as she reached for the creature, eager to take hold of it.

With her mind’s eye, she studied its form and shape, trying to understand her foe.

It was large, easily over ten metres tall, and long, with rounded shoulders, a long snout extending from its head and a tail lagging behind. Sneaking limbs from behind it, she managed to snake a tentacle around its leg and immediately felt something strange about it.

This creature was covered in scales formed of some sort of metal. Layered over each other to form a natural armour that her tentacle barbs scraped against ineffectually.

Cautious, the monster eyed her before it raised up its tail and slammed it heavily into the ground. The tunnel rocked from the force of the impact, rock shattered and rose up into the air, only to slam down again as a powerful force rippled outwards, dragging the debris to the tunnel floor.

Crinis recognised that magic… that was the power that her master wielded!

How dare you, she seethed internally. Disgusting filth… you don’t deserve to touch that mana!

In a flash, Crinis sucked the light out of the tunnel, dragging it into herself and annihilating it. Both monsters were plunged into almost total darkness but only one of them was at home there.

At the same time, Crinis wove her own spells, conjuring a withering curse to weaken her foe.

With an angered trill, the monster curled up defensively, but it took Crinis a moment to realise that it had folded itself almost completely into a ball. With a slam of its tail, it projected itself into the air, tucked itself in and started rolling.

Crinis tried to take hold of it, but her enemy was possessed of an unstoppable momentum, ripping her grasping limbs apart as it barreled towards her.

What sort of strange creature was this? Able to turn itself into a ball?! Irritated, Crinis flattened herself down, using the amorphous property of her flesh to compact herself and allow the monster to roll over her. As it did, the edges of the metal scales dug into her body, tearing away chunks of Immaterial Flesh.

Crinis was furious, but she remained rational. This was not a good matchup for her. With its outer layer of metal scales, the rolling monster was too hard for her barbs to rip into, which would make it difficult for her to deal significant damage.

Luckily, she had other methods of tormenting her foes.

Manipulating the darkness, Crinis extended her tentacles into the shadow below, only for them to emerge from above. As the monster rolled up the wall of the tunnel, it slowed, then reversed its momentum, shaking the ground with its force.

As it rolled over her again, Crinis struck.

The Soul Seeker Cillia phased through the outer armour and sank into the creature's head. It shrilled with anger, but it was too late.

Sinking her limbs into the monster’s brain, Crinis felt fierce resistance as it fought back against her, but she didn’t need to control it for long. It lost its momentum, unwinding from its rolled over form and sprawling ungracefully on the ground.

With delight, Crinis realised that the monster’s chest and belly were not covered in hardened metal scales, but soft fur and tender flesh. She didn’t even mind that her cilia were forced out of the creature’s mind.

It was too late for it anyway.

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