Chapter 53: Raising the Chrysalis (2/2)

Aldrich raised a hand to calm her He could still sense the Chrysalis within, and it did not exhibit any sign of hostility or disobedience to him

"The creature has fused into the Phylactery" Fler'Gan picked the orb up and began to navigate the ain

"Yeah, we can see that," said Stella "But is that a good thing or not?"

"No, you do not understand This fusion, it is remarkably complete It is not merely that the creature has sunk within the Phylactery, it has become the Phylactery They are now one and the same" Fler'Gan's three red eyes widened as he saw the cracks he had for up on their own "Marvelous! Look! This experi success! Our world and this world, its fusion - a success!"

Fler'Gan held the orb out excitedly for everyone to watch Within the glassy glowing purple orb, the dark silhouette of the curled-up Chrysalis could be seen

"It's…adjusting," said Aldrich as he felt what the Chrysalis was going through and the intentions it projected "It's taking into process it

And to do that…it wants to be close to me I'm the source of its life, and there's mana inside me, too It wants to link with my body, to fuse with me as well so that it can analyze my mana first Mythat, it shouldn't have an issue getting used to the Phylactery"

Aldrich took the Phylactery fro a distinct draw to it

He knehat to do with this

He de him bare naked from the waist up His body had noticeably bulked up since the beginning of his undeath due to the stats he had pumped into it He had always been physically fit froer

Not overly big like a bodybuilder, but he still had a sizable amount of th and speed

Lean and strong Ready to overpower and crush in one moment, then sprint and chase in the other

"Oh, ," said Valera as she licked her lips, her fangs showing She blushed in shyness but still panted and leaned forwards like a predator eyeing a prize they had hunted for days And in her case, she had been on the hunt for years

On top of this, her usual shyness as an upstanding knightblood And for va blood was closely linked with sexual desire

"This is a serious moment, you" Stella bonked Valera's helmetless head with a karate chop "Keep that horniness in check"

Valera growled but stayed still, understanding that Stella was right

Aldrich looked down at his body In the center of all that ht below his plate-like pectorals, there was the ed out He placed the Phylactery tentatively within it and then -

The Phylactery glowed before tendrils of pink flesh e onto Aldrich's insides More andup the gaping hole left behind in Aldrich's chest

There was now only the glowing purple surface of the Phylactery jutting frorown bone and muscle

Aldrich went down into one knee as he saw complete and utter darkness

"Captain!"

"Master!"

Valera and Stella immediately rushed to Aldrich's help, but he waved the but darkness He realized this hat the Chrysalis saw "There's nothing in the Phylactery Just darkness"

"That is to be expected," said Fler'Gan "After all, a Phylactery is ultimately a vessel to contain a soul Once your soul transfers within, the darkness you see will be painted over by the color of your soul It will become your very own inner world: a manifestation of the self

And noith this creature nested in the Phylactery, you have an additional layer of defense if anyone atteet your Phylactery directly Perhaps the creature may utilize its spatial manipulation to conjure portals that bend deadly attacks to your soul away Perhaps it ic and cast spells of its own

The possibilities are sirasp them, we require further experimentation"

"Defense, is it?" Aldrich returned to his own vision as the Chrysalis becay source He willed the Chrysalis to try and attack from within the Phylactery

Aldrich tapped the Phylactery, and it crackled with arcs of red energy before turning a solid vantablack, almost like a black hole This was a diranted, but a portal nonetheless: the Chrysalis was starting to use mana to fuel its warp powers

S slowly on the ground, picking up pebbles here and there before sinking back into the Phylactery

"What the hell was that!?" Stella juence of surprise tentacles

"The creature is learning at an exceptional rate," said Fler'Gan "That darkness was some of the ed to control theit to create tendrils to interact with the world

Yet, judging by the minute size and chaotic shape of those tendrils, it is unused to shaping mana"

Aldrich felt the Chrysalis protest within hiy to make it open a portal, even a portal that ss in

"Not just that," said Aldrich "Like you said, by design, anything inside the Phylactery is coy leaks That includes the dimension that the Chrysalis creates

So anytime it wants to attack, it has to open a portal, and portals are costly It's too sh to do much more than open that tiny portal and spew out a few row like it did with an Ether deposit

I know you want to experiive the Chrysalis sorows"

"As you wish, O Elder," said Fler'Gan with a barely concealed sigh, disappointed he could not see and experiment more

Aldrich, too, wanted to experiine how incredibly useful this Chrysalis-Phylactery fusion would be One of the biggest issues he had was that he could not carry around his undead without attracting attention

But with the Chrysalis, he could store and release them at will

"Then what now?" said Stella

Aldrich snapped his fingers and bid the alloywing eagle down to the cavern "We head to Haven City"