Insect Tamer's Ascension-Chapter 328: Time to complete a requirement (1)- A fight with a giant

Chapter 328: Time to complete a requirement (1)- A fight with a giant

With the mantis there to help him fend off the crawlers, Theo finally felt a little breathing room.

He stepped forward and smacked another crawler up into the air with a brutal kick, sending its massive body twisting awkwardly. The mantis caught the cue instantly.

It turned into a white flash.

In less than a second, Theo saw the crawler split cleanly into two midair, its body falling apart before it even hit the ground.

The path ahead finally opened up. Theo pushed forward, his pace steady but tense, until he halted for the first time since he had started running.

He stood before one of the largest trees he had seen anywhere near the camp.

Its branches were very thick, thick enough that Theo knew it would be a struggle to wrap his hands around it.

Theo quickly scanned his body. The ants were still clinging tightly to his upper armor, packed densely around his shoulders, chest, and arms. Their mandibles were locked with the brood on them, but still, they were strong enough to latch onto his armor and not fall.

Not a single crawler had managed to reach them too.

BHMMMMM.....

The ground suddenly quaked violently. The vibration traveled straight up Theo’s legs and into his spine, and before he could even think, his knees bent on their own.

The risk of the whole colony collapsing was intense as the ant queen was very vulnerable right now.

He instinctively hyper jumped.

Theo launched himself upward with everything he had, the sword still secured in its scabbard as one hand reached out instinctively.

His fingers closed around a thick branch he had already picked out mid-jump.

The impact rattled his arms hard enough that pain flared through his shoulders. His grip slipped for a moment, forcing him to slam his shoulder against the bark and cling to it with his whole body. But his hands alone weren’t enough.

He wrapped his arm tighter and pressed his chest into the branch, using every point of contact he could manage.

"Tell all the ants to get up here first," Theo commanded sharply.

The ants responded immediately. They began moving in organized lines, climbing over his armor and onto the branch without hesitation. The speed of the command going throug should have surprised him.

But Theo’s mind was still locked onto the quake below.

Once the last of the ants had climbed up, Theo carefully lifted the ant queen and placed her at the center of the branch, where it was widest and most stable.

Only after he was absolutely sure it was secure did he finally allow himself to breathe.

’Oh...’

Theo looked down and for a moment, his thoughts completely shut off. He was far higher up than he had realized.

The ground below looked very distant. There was no way he could simply jump down and land safely. Not without breaking something.

’My mind still hasn’t let go of the previous world’s rules...’

He swallowed hard.

’I can do this safely... I can do this safely...’

Theo kept repeating it in his head, staring down at the ground while his instincts screamed at him to stay where he was.

But his body didn’t fully believe it yet. Instead of jumping, Theo shifted his grip and pulled himself closer to the trunk.

He wrapped both arms around the branch and began inching his way toward the tree itself, moving slowly and deliberately.

The trunk was thick, rough, and uneven, offering plenty of places to grip. Still, Theo was sure of one thing.

There was no way the outer bark wouldn’t crack under his weight.

Suddenly, he heard a sharp, feminine shout from below, making Theo’s heart drop. There was only one female in this whole camp, one that was very close to his heart.

"C-CLARA!"

He snapped his head downward toward where she was, and the sight nearly stopped his breathing.

The ground beneath Clara had split open.

A greyish silhouette burst out from below, its massive mouth open wide as it surged upward.

When Theo looked at her, he felt a bit relieved to see that she was already up in the air, most likely with the help of the hyper jump.

But she soon came to a halt midair and started falling down with flailing arms.

The beast’s mouth remained wide open. Theo’s chest tightened painfully when he realized Clara’s Hyper Jump had been high, but not high enough.

As Clara began falling straight toward the beast’s maw, Theo was frozen in place, clinging helplessly to the branch.

But soon enough, his grip slipped instictively and he focused on the ground and at where he was going to land.

When he got to the ground, he hit the ground hard and rolled once, letting the momentum carry through his body to bleed off as much force as possible.

Theo could feel pain all around his body due to the impact, but what mattered was that he was able to move currently and, most importantly, he was alive.

But it seemed it was too late for him to do anything about it.

But a violent thrashing sound erupted near the big beast’s location.

Theo’s face moved toward Clara again, who was still falling, but not into the beast’s mouth this time. Instead, she crashed shoulder-first into the side of its long, rocky body.

The impact knocked her sideways, sending her tumbling away from the creature before she hit the ground near the others.

But she didn’t stop there and forced herself up and started running almost instantly.

"CLARA!"

Theo sprinted toward her, panic clawing at his chest.

She spotted him and rushed forward as well, but her legs gave out just before they reached each other.

Clara collapsed to her knees when she knew she was out of danger and near Theo, her head dropped toward the ground.

Theo placed his bruised, bloodied hand on her shoulder and immediately felt her shaking violently.

Her eyes were wide, unfocused, sweat pouring down her face as her breathing came in sharp, uneven gasps. He could get it, she was at death’s door just a moment ago.

Theo pulled her into a tight embrace and muttered near her ear, "It’s okay," he said firmly, "You’re safe, Clara."

He rested one hand on the back of her head, gently pressing her against his chest while the other wrapped around her shoulders.

She stayed like that for several seconds but Theo knew better.

He pulled back slightly and cupped her face with both hands, forcing her to look him in the eyes.

"But we don’t have time to stop," he said, his gaze sharp and focused. "The real fight has just started."

Clara swallowed hard and nodded. Theo helped her to her feet, then noticed her clutching her shoulder tightly.

"How bad is it?" he asked.

She glanced at the massive beast as it slammed its mouth into the ground again before vanishing below the surface.

"It’s dislocated," she said, "Please give me a moment."

Before Theo could stop her, Clara grabbed her injured shoulder and wrenched it violently, making a sickening grinding sound to come out.

Theo felt his stomach twist but soon a satisfying pop sound came from it.

Clara straightened, her expression cold and composed despite the sweat still clinging to her skin.

Theo nodded once at her willpower and then turned and scanned the camp.

He quickly spotted Elias moving exactly as planned, darting one place to another just like when they were trying to not be snacks for the gigantic crawlers.

Theo clenched his jaw, veins bulging along his forehead.

"That thing has eaten thousands of my ants," he said with frustration, "And now it’s come back for us."

His grip tightened around the hilt of his sword.

"We will kill it" Theo said, voice hard, "No matter what."