Psychic Parasite

Chapter 145: Preparations Complete
Jyorta retracted his psychic arm, taking a glance at the rectangular boxes that were used to store the Floating Spiders.

’Not only do they block psychic energy, but they also absorb the energy produced in their bodies by the Frenzy Parasites as they form.’

His psychic arm carried the small rectangular box in his hands—the one containing the Brain Crystals—and dropped it before one of the two Line Controller Floating Spiders. His Soul Cornea flashed into its body, making contact with the subsoul belonging to its Frenzy Parasite.

The Soul Cornea draped the curtain—the false persona; one of gluttony, focus, and filled with self-control—over it. Thanks to the false persona, the behaviour of the Frenzy Parasite experienced a subtle change, the effect not apparent unless the Line Controller Floating Spider’s Caterpillar was summoned.

The Soul Cornea then touched the soul of the Line Controller Floating Spider, imbuing in it a set of memories, detailing its plan of action.

The Line Controller Floating Spider took some steps forward, arriving at his side, allowing faint tendrils of blood to seep through its face. The blood tendrils condensed into a tiny sphere of blood, crimson in colour. It hovered before its face, shining with a faint reddish hue, spanning the size of its head.

Two cracks formed along its centre, travelling to the rest, forming a full circle, dividing the sphere into two. Each hemisphere rotated in opposite directions, unravelling a long cylindrical body.

The body was segmented into six by grooves that formed on its skin. A pair of stumps formed in the fourth, fifth, and sixth segments, turning into its legs. Similarly, a pair of arms formed in the second segment. It was the Line Controller Floating Spider’s Caterpillar.

The Caterpillar landed on the ground, taking a glance at the box filled with Brain Crystals, its expression one of startling calm.

Its facial features resembled that of a Floating Spider, its expression unreadable to Jyorta. The Line Controller Floating Spider unleashed its psychic arm, lifting a brain Crystal, and bringing it towards the Caterpillar.

In the time it stood outside its confinement, the Frenzy Parasite in it had nurtured enough energy to unleash a psychic arm. When its Caterpillar grabbed hold of the Brain Crystal, the psychic arm shattered, dissipating into the atmosphere, having expended all psychic energy.

The Caterpillar sniffed the Brain Crystal once, sensing a pleasant aroma. It then took a gentle bite of it, munching it a couple of times before swallowing the resultant whole. A stream of psychic energy gushed into the Line controller Floating Spider’s body, soon flowing into its Brain Crystal.

Jyorta sensed the energy filling up in its Brain Crystal through his psychic arm, waiting in patience for its completion. Finally, after some time had passed, he noticed its Brain Crystal brimming with psychic energy. He then commanded it to continue with its actions, taking in the view of his blue soul.

’Through the use of false personas, I can establish absolute control over my subsouls.’

One of his Soul Cornea flashed towards the Line Controller Floating Spider, making contact with its soul. It grabbed a part of the subsoul, elongating it with a tug, complementing the process by moulding it with soul energy.

The Soul Cornea soon created a soul tendril, increasing its length, attaching it to its Brain Crystal. It repeated the process, stopping only when it had connected 10 soul tendrils in total to the Brain Crystal of the Floating Spider.

The subsoul began to automatically siphon energy from the Brain Crystal, converting it into soul energy that filled it up. The Soul Cornea in turn siphoned the soul energy from it, sending it to the blue soul.

Now, Jyorta had access to an energy source, with a sound replenishment rate. Moreover, there weren’t any side effects attached to this method. It was something he had figured out after his first failed attempt at rescuing Heima.

As the Soul Cornea siphoned energy from the subsoul, its reserves were readily replenished through the soul tendrils connected to its Brain Crystal. Even if not for the soul tendrils he had created for it, its soul energy reserves would still be replenished by the physical body, by actuating a mystical process.

But, in this manner, it would be accompanied by the murkiness. Moreover, the process was many times slower. Also, in the current status quo, only pure soul energy entered the subsoul, barring any murkiness; so, Jyorta preferred the current method.

The blue soul began to work on the canvas formed from the husks of two subsouls. Its target was a false persona, the same as the curtain. Though, since it was being created to be capable of wrapping around the soul belonging to Heima’s Wisdom Parasite, it should be of relative size and sturdiness.

So, Jyorta planned to use a lot of soul husks to create it, making it sturdy to the extent it wouldn’t be easily destroyed. He also changed its design, adapting it to the target soul, in hopes of raising his success rate.

Atika Light watched everything with renewed interest, observing the Caterpillar summoned by the Line Controller Floating Spider. Even she hadn’t had the chance to observe the Centipedes and Caterpillars of the Frenzy Beasts in such close-up. On the rare occasions she had sneaked into weak Frenzy Beast habitats, she had managed to glimpse them. Though, it was only for short moments before the target reacted.

But, she was now able to calmly observe the Caterpillar of a Frenzy Beast, allowing her to gain plenty of useful data. Moreover, it was a Caterpillar summoned by a Floating Spider, allowing her to study their characteristic traits.

The Caterpillar and Centipede of Espers and Warriors were a closely guarded secret thanks to many reasons. It was a safe assumption to say that one could glean truth about the entirety of the individual through his Caterpillar or Centipede.

’This data will allow us to target the weaknesses of the Floating Spiders more easily. I should also change the species to include the other three races that threaten Marble City.’ Atika Light snapped her fingers, producing a faint sound that rattled the door in a particular frequency, producing a certain tune.

There was no response from the outside. Atika Light continued to watch the spectacle, gleaning information that would prove useful against the Floating Spiders.

’If I observe more, I will be able to conceptualise a method to make the Floating Spiders lose control.’

Thirty minutes later, a small knock resounded from the door. Atika Light snapped her fingers in response, causing the door to slightly rattle, finishing the message exchange. The atmosphere immediately returned to its silence.

Atika Light then noticed Jyorta gaze at her. He opened his mouth, speaking in a humble tone, ”Ma’am, will the potion I drank before work on the Floating Spider?”

”It won’t,” Atika Light shook her head, ”Also, it is not worth it. You can use new Floating Spiders in place. I’ll ask Anruk Light to bring in more Line Controller Floating Spiders.” Atika Light snapped her finger, turning silent after that.

’So, the costs outweigh their worth.’ Jyorta nodded, continuing with his actions.

Outside the door, Anruk Light gazed at the stack of rectangular boxes, with three of them at varying sizes. Two of them were large to the extent they occupied most of the space in the room. The door opened as a Shifter brought in another batch of rectangular boxes, the same ones that housed the Floating Spiders.

Despite feeling varying levels of confusion, Anruk Light never uttered a word of complain, going with the flow in silence, expressing zero curiosity.

Time passed in such fashion. Soon, nine Floating Spiders lay before Jyorta, all dead. To his left was a Line Controller Floating Spider, twitching on the ground as its body oozed out a white substance. If left alone without any treatment, it was bound to die soon.

Before that happened, Jyorta sucked in the two subsouls inside it, also using them in the creation of the false persona. The Soul Cornea exited its body, bringing with it the curtain—the false persona; one of gluttony, focus, and filled with self-control.

It then entered the body of the other Line Controller Floating Spider, overlaying the curtain on its Frenzy Parasite’s subsoul, enacting the same process as before. Using the steady influx in soul energy, the blue soul soon completed its conceptualised false persona.

11:45 PM, Jyorta exited the vision of his blue soul, watching the second Line Controller Floating Spider die. All the Floating Spiders in the room had died, their souls used into the newly created false persona.

’It is no longer a curtain. It currently resembles a Hoberman Sphere.’ Jyorta decided to name it as such, watching it shrink to a tenth of its size, turning into a regular sphere.

After the second Line Controller Floating Spider had died, Jyorta had to use the energy remaining in his Brain crystal to add the finishing touch. He then looked around him, noticing the tiny box housing the Brain Crystals, only left with a single piece.

”Are you done for the day?” Atika Light inquired, glancing at the time displayed in her watch.

”Yes, Ma’am.” Jyorta bowed. He then approached Heima, holding her hand for moral support, feeling a sense of trepidation. He looked at his sister’s face, watching her peaceful demeanour, feeling the drive to save her.

”Ma’am,” Jyorta turned around, finding Atika Light unavailable in her seat, having disappeared from view. He then noticed her presence beside him, watching Heima in silence, the thoughts processing in her mind a mystery.

Seeing her nod in response, Jyorta took in a deep breath, ”Will it be possible to bring some Frenzy Fruits tomorrow?”

”Are you done with your preparations?” Atika Light turned around, watching him with a smile.

”Yes, ma’am.” Jyorta nodded, ”I’ll be requiring 4-5 Line Controller Floating Spiders and lots of Brain Crystals tomorrow.”

”Good,” Atika Light nodded, expressing that everything he needed had already been prepared.

’One more day, sister; I’ll save you.’ Jyorta clenched his fists, brimming with fighting spirit.