Psychic Parasite

Chapter 273: Marble asks for an Input
All the remaining 9 Shifters had returned to reality. They all behaved the same as the first Shifter, immediately falling unconscious. Psychic Ancestor Marble observed their states through a psychic arm.

’I should immediately check the condition of their souls to better understand their situation. It won’t be wise to disturb Jyorta and spoil his growth. As for Laila, she could reach here from the military academy without any problem. That would be a better choice.’ He thought before retracting his psychic arm.

A couple of seconds after his psychic arm disappeared from the place, the eyelids of a Shifter subtly trembled. It was the Shifter who had attempted a breakthrough from floor 120, the highest floor in the 7th Ring’s Limitless Tower.

It was subtle to the extent no one noticed in their hurry. Moreover, once they had finished healing the 10 Shifters, all Espers retracted their psychic arms from the room. Since this happened after that, there wasn’t anyone to notice it.

A second later, a team of personnel entered the room and picked up the Shifter’s body. Thankfully, the Shifter’s aura was retained in his body, making his body weight conform to a normal person. Otherwise, they would have faced some difficulties and would need a Ground Controller or a large team of Wave Controllers to take action.

In the Mental Realm, the Mind Hound flew past many Cogent Phrenics that showed subservient postures to it. The Cogent Phrenics that hadn’t moved even once after forming, staying in the same spot for decades had to move just because they were in the Mind Hound’s way.

Those that failed to do so were swatted aside by a lash from its tongue. Moreover, its tongue attack faintly corroded their forms.

It flew past illusory buildings, watching scenes of humans working, sleeping, relaxing in their living rooms, etc.

It watched an illusory metro train pass through its form, not affecting it in the slightest. Soon, it arrived before a massive magenta wall. It stopped and looked around, spotting the military academy.

It landed on the military academy’s ground, rolling on the ground once, despite being unable to make contact. There was no concept of ground or any physical limitations in the mental realm, unless it tried to tread to areas where no one had ever attempted a breakthrough. There, it would come across the boundary of the Mental Realm, beyond which it would be unable to traverse.

It roamed the ground, scanning past the faces of all the students. It barked once in joy, finding a boy walking on the ground, heading towards an Indigo Coloured Building. It floated behind him, maintaining a distance no longer than his arm’s reach.

The boy soon entered the Indigo Building and arrived on the third floor, entering his room. He began to change into a set of armour, grabbing hold of many items to attach to it.

After a minute of observation, the Mind Hound shot forth its tongue, watching it pass through the figure of the boy. It then retracted its tongue and barked at him a couple of times, rolling around him for a full minute, making many revolutions.

Seeing no reacting from him, it whimpered and flew away, beginning to roam the military academy campus. Eventually, it passed through a White Building, scanning through the numerous faces there.

Soon, it barked in joy. The serpentine portion below its neck wriggled, dancing like a dog’s tail. Its tongue hung outside its mouth like a normal dog, its actions, and even the sounds it emitted conforming to the same.

It behaved like a dog whose owner was about to treat it to its favourite food. It passed its head through a wall, watching its head fully cover the room and the rooms beyond. After all, its head was currently 23 metres in size.

It then moved back a little, tilting its head until its left eye hovered before a petite girl. It was a rectangular room, with a monitor attached to one wall. A rectangular table had been placed after a metre in distance. Surrounding it were 6 chairs, with three lined up on each side.

The seated students had to turn their heads sideways to glance at the monitor. Seated on the seat closest to the monitor was the petite girl. To her left was the monitor. She was currently giggling and teasing the friend seated to her right.

Parlous laughter resounded within the room as the students, all six of them engaged in their merry. They studied, discussed, made fun of each other at an opportune time, etc. creating a lively atmosphere where they had fun while finishing their objective to study.

The Mind Hound’s left eye was positioned alarmingly close to the petite girl’s face, watching her actions without blinking even once. Even the tiniest change in her facial muscle, the waving of a hair strand in her eyelid as they blinked, etc. the Mind Hound observed everything.

Reverberating in its area were its constant barking that occasionally changed into whimpers. As time passed, despite her behaving the same as before, a droplet of sweat slid down her face. Her smile became a bit stiff while the muscle below her left eye twitched.

As time passed, her forehead was covered with sweat. The friend seated to her right glanced around, feeling that the room was appropriately cold enough and the air conditioning was functioning fine.

She glanced at the petite girl, ”Are you feeling fine, Laila?”

”Y-Yes?” Laila was startled for a moment before she replied in haste, ”A-Ah, I am fine. I was just distracted for a moment there, ahaha.”

Her expression then changed subtly as clapped her hands, getting up from her seat, ”I forgot to do something important. I’ll return in twenty minutes. You girls continue without me until then.”

Before her friends could say anything, she exited the room, making a light sprint before exiting the White Building. The Mind Hound made patterns similar to the rise and fall of a wave as it followed her.

Soon, Laila returned to her room. With a snap of her finger, the room subtly changed. It was as if the room was partly sealed off from reality, forming a mirror image that overlapped it.

A minute hole existed on its border, so small that even a Sky Controller would have trouble noticing unless he/she actively looked for it. It wouldn’t be noticeable under the passive watch of a Sky Controller’s domain.

A psychic arm entered the hole as the magenta figure of Psychic Ancestor Marble formed. Before she could utter a word, the magenta figure spoke in a hurry, ”I need your input on a certain matter.”

”Can’t you ask George for that?” Laila grunted once, getting an idea immediately without even needing to know the context of the situation. After all, there was only a single field that a Tier 6 Esper like Psychic Ancestor Marble required her help of.

”It is best to refrain from disturbing him for the time being. The more sensitive information he comes across in such a budding stage, the more it would hinder his growth in the future.” The magenta figure shook its head.

”Fine,” Laila sighed, scratching her head once. She then gazed at the magenta figure, her expression turning sharp for an instant, ”Before that, tell me what you are planning with Jyorta? He’s barely an Area Controller but possesses a Tier 4 Artifact, a Tier 5 Artifact, and a Tier 6 Artifact fused with a Tier 5 Relic.”

’So she is still unable to sense the presence of Deific Inference.’ The magenta figure thought.

The magenta figure chuckled once, ”It is a result of a deal between Light and Jyovic Bone. You know how Heima has a shot at Tier 6 after inheriting part of your memories right? They plan to use Jyorta to further her chance into Tier 6…”

Laila closed her eyes, motioning for him to drop the matter. She then changed the topic, ”I don’t plan to leave the military academy for the time being. So, I won’t be able to actively take part in anything.”

”Isn’t this futile and a waste of time for you? Shouldn’t you have everything you need? I even gave you my Marble Sonata. If you need anything else, you can simply ask me for it.”

Laila pointed with her index figure, shaking it a couple of times, ”If I don’t wish to repeat my previous failure, then I need to enjoy proper growth. A solid character, ego, emotional state, attachments, etc. are needed to establish a steady character. Unless I finish that, I don’t have any other plans to act otherwise.”

She then smiled, ”Besides, I don’t wish to reveal my identity for the time being. Isn’t that why I left Heima alone, so that she could fill some of the void I left behind? You haven’t revealed my identity to others right, Marble?”

”No, I have no reason to do so.” The magenta figure shook its head, ”Besides, none of them are fast enough to react should you take any action. So, I have no reason to tell them unless you say so. Besides, it will be helpful if you can reach Tier 6 before I die.”

”Don’t worry too much, Marble. I’m sure humanity will pull through like always.” Laila smiled, but the gaze in her eyes hardened, ”And, what about the brat that ratted out on me? He hasn’t blurted my identity to anyone else, right?”

”For the time being, he hasn’t. I’ll warn him once too.” The marble figure nodded, continuing on the topic he came to speak about, ”At the end of our Cleansement Operation…”