Catena didn’t have much time to prepare for anything so his only option was to cover his whole body in essence and take the first wave of attack head-on.

Once again, he found himself rammed into the wall, but this time, his head throbbed painfully, and a thin line of blood ran from his forehead to his nose.

He didn’t bother to wipe it, the monsters were coming again, but Catena didn’t cower like he did earlier; since he entered this Crypt, he’s been in a kind of offense mode. "Time to fight back."

He poured essence into the formation in his mind, and then it was transferred into the stone floor beneath him and then brought back as the earth’s strength, but he remembered what Azaroth told him, so he reduced the strength he took.

He used the strength to reinforce only his two hands, and he grinned when he saw the bright, curving green lines on his hands like veins.

With his left hand, he cut away the chain attached to his hips, and then he tangled them even more, forming a single chain whip. All of these actions took seconds, and by the time the monsters reached him, he was ready.

With his new strength, he snapped the chain, and it cracked in the air with a terrible clanking sound; the two balls curved in the air and smashed into one of the monsters with so much force it was crushed to pieces and blood fell like rain.

But that didn’t stop the other two from reaching him, but since Catena didn’t need to forge his hands with essence, he focused on his legs and then jumped to meet them in mid-air.

Just as he was about to get to them, he spun and made a spinning kick, taking down a surprised monster, and then the next one took a punch that went straight through its skull.

When Catena reached the ground, the floor cracked beneath him. The monster he kicked was fine, just disoriented, and he quickly used that opportunity to dispatch it by crushing its head against the wall with his left hand.

"Huhu! Disgusting, get off me." Catena removed the still-warm head of the monster from his hand. Then he quickly removed the formation, collapsing the strength he took. He felt a bit drained but it was nothing compared to if he was using all his power at once.

The way he only focused his earth strength in his hands minimized the amount of essence he needed to use but also did the work.

With his legs still covered in essence, he began to run straight towards the boss’s room. His steps pounded hard on the floor as each step propelled him forward. And then he entered the big cave of the queen room and he froze.

The workers of the colony, numbering up to hundreds, filled the space; they crawled on the wall and littered the roof; the squirming mass covered the queen and hid her from sight. Catena groaned. "Azaroth should have been given this Crypt. Then he can just blow them all away with his fire. What am I supposed to do with this lot? Huh? What’s that?"

In front of him, a space was cleared, and like before, three monsters stood before him. They were identical to the three he fought earlier, but these three were bigger and lacked any wings, but that’s not what made Catena take a step back.

A chill ran down his spine. "You’ve got to be kidding me."

Outside Commander Apex chuckled. "Now, the real test begins in a Kaido colony. The queen isn’t the most powerful physically; she can’t even fight, she only has authority. But the three generals that personally guard her? They each have the power of a crypt boss. He better be careful."

"Let’s see how he reacts to this," the mechanical voice said.

Catena reacted as he would have before; he did as he usually did when he fought. If he didn’t give his all to this, then he was sure death awaited him. He saw the two formations clearly in his mind, but he only put more essence into one than the other.

His eyes glowed with green light and lines covered his whole body, curving around his eyes. He felt the strength of the earth in him and he clenched his fist, creating a sound like two stones slamming together.

The three monsters realized this and jumped him as one and Catena laughed as his battle lust took over. "That’s it, come here!"

He leaped and met them head-on and, three against one, they collided in a blast of shockwaves that sent both sides back. Catena was after them just as fast; he stretched his hand, and the stone floor formed a warhammer for him.

He swung it with devastating force, far faster than the monsters thought, because one of them was caught unguarded and sent skidding across the ground.

"Where are you looking?" With a burst, Catena was suddenly behind one of the monsters that was distracted. He brought his hammer down to bash it on the head but like a spring uncoiling, it kicked him in the chest.

Catena grunted as he was pushed back; he smashed into several workers and splattered them before his back hit the floor, cracking it around him. "It’s good that I went all out or else I would have lost my life. Such force in a kick!"

"Huh?" His vision was suddenly blocked by black shapes as two monsters landed atop him before he could regain his feet. He grimaced. "Maybe I can bribe you with good food?"

The monsters didn’t think so. As they drew close, they clawed their hands back and began to beat him. They pushed his head into the ground, and pounded his face into it until their hands blurred black with speed.

Even the third monster that was kicked away jumped up and joined them.