I Shall Evolve Everything

As the sun fell on the world I now inhabited I closed my eyes, intending to sleep the night away. Or at least part of it, it seemed that the days of this world were at the very least twice as long as normal days, I had learned that while I was recovering my strength. The days and nights of this world were about double in time, meaning that a consistent sleep schedule was almost impossible.

That didn't mean that I didn't get sleep, only that I was sleeping at random time, whenever I got tired I would sleep, that was my only schedule.

However before I could fall asleep a roar echoed out through the forest, it sounded the same as the bugs that I had killed but it had a strange keening noise to it that caught my attention.

Looking down from the branch that I was resting on I saw what looked like the bugs that I had killed except it was many times smaller, almost my height just a bit taller.

However it seemed much stronger, the aether around it was twisting just by being in the presence of this bug.

Around the bug I could see hundreds of the larger ones inspecting the corpses.

They would feel it with their antennas then if it passed some criteria that I couldn't puzzle out it would be taken on their back and brought to someplace.

It seemed that the larger bug was the one to orchestrate this. The larger ones following its every command.

I wanted to fight it, not for no reason. No, I wanted to fight it because it was stronger than me.

The challenge that the bug would pose to me would hopefully be enough to allow me to grow my eighth tail.

However I didn't just rush recklessly, instead I waited, it seemed that most of the larger bugs were around as manpower. That meant that eventually most of them would be gone and when there are only a couple left would be when I strike.

If I waited until they were all gone the smaller bug most likely would go with them so that wasn't an option.

…

It took less time than I would have thought, the bugs were almost done with whatever objective that they had come here for. Most of the larger bugs were gone by now leaving the smaller one with an entourage of only 3 of the larger bugs.

It seems like this was where they left as the corpses that they had already inspected and rejected were the only ones left.

Before they could leave though, I leapt off of my perch, my claws coated in foxfire.

BOOM

The bug that I had landed on was pierced by my claws and was dead by the time that I had made it to the next.

BOOM

BOOM

The next two were swiftly taken down in short order, leaving me staring at the smaller bug.

GAOOOO

The bug screeched at me, all the while charging. The aether in the air was turbid as it charged at me. I felt heavier, my legs not reacting as fast as I thought they could.

It was then that I realized that I had been caught, invisible strings held my legs, although individually they were not much. There were thousands of strings holding onto my legs, each one of them invisible. The only reason I knew that they were there was the tugging sensation that I got from moving my legs.

However they weren't there for long as soon after I conjured my foxfire and had it spread on my legs burning the restraints.

The strings that were holding me lit up in flames, part of them disintegrating as the flames grew closer and closer to the bug charging at me.

Before the strings could reach the bug they were cut from wherever they connected to, falling to the ground.

While I was concentrating on this, the bug had gotten closer, close enough that I could stare straight into its eyes.

CLANG

My claws, coated with foxfire that could pierce the larger bugs, were deflected. The carapace of the bug was hard enough and resistant to fire enough that it was able to deflect my attack.

"Guh" I quietly hissed as a dexterous claw made it passed my defenses and pierced my abdomen.

Blood dripped down the bug's claw before it was quickly swallowed by the bug's claw, any sign of my blood disappearing.

I hastily retreated, holding my wound as my natural healing worked to stop the bleeding. It seemed that I hadn't retreated enough though as the bug charged at me with speed that it did not have previously.

BOOM

BOOM

BOOM

Its heavy footfalls as it broke the ground it dashed over while running to me echoed in my ears. It seemed that my blood, whatever it did to it, allowed it to gain strength.

I grit my teeth, making sure that my wound was healed, and dashed toward it.

Before I reached it though I jumped up, dodging the piercing attack that it had aimed at me. Although it was stronger than me it was only barely able to keep up with my speed. The reason for that was most likely how heavy it was, I could only guess that the carapace that protected it weighed several tons judging by the footsteps of it.

I used this to my advantage, knowing that I could outmaneuver it, I constantly attacked at the same spot on its carapace, making sure to enhance the foxfire as much as I could. A lackluster foxfire like the one that I had used against its comrades would not work. That was why I devoted more than half of my attention to stoking the flame, making it hotter and hotter, never stopping. Not even when it threatened to break through my natural defense to foxfire, I kept on stoking it.

It was working, I could see tiny cracks on the armor of the bug.

CRACK

The sound of its armor breaking rang in my ears, a smile blooming on my face as I could finally burn the insides of this bug.

With one final attack I poured all of the foxfire that I was accumulating into the body of the bug.