Psychic Parasite

Chapter 297: The Tier 6 Skep
’Hmm, there are some Frenzy Beasts here. 70 Tier 2, 38 Tier 3, 8 Tier 4, and 1 Tier 5. That is a lot; did Parasite help them? Strange, I thought it gave up on the ocean long ago.’ As he frowned, Rhachis Ancestor Strongest continued to swim deeper.

The group of Frenzy Beasts were hurriedly swimming in panic, heading deeper and deeper. They were all Warriors, using their Skills to move faster. Intrigued by their actions, Rhachis Ancestor Strongest followed them, noticing an increase in the number of Frenzy Beasts.

These Frenzy Beasts looked different than the Frog, Armadillo, and the Stingray that were part of the Swarm attacking Marble City. They had reptilian bodies, with spikes on their backs that reduced in length as they proceeded to the tail.

Their bodies were a shade of grey, lacking any eyes, depending solely on radiation they emitted to perceive their surroundings. Rhachis Ancestor Strongest thought, ’The three species of the Swarm this time perceive through sound. But, these Frenzy Beasts use radiation instead.’

It was an oddity. In every Wave, the Swarm would have common characteristics, despite differing in body shapes and sizes. That was how they were able to operate as a collective whole. Their abilities complemented and amplified one another, achieving an overall effect. That was how they became a Swarm.

Rhachis Ancestor Strongest landed on the Tier 5 Frenzy Beast, holding a spike using his toes as he looked around in curiosity. Despite him being on its back, the Tier 5 Frenzy Beast failed to sense his presence, swimming along in panic.

Its body was streamlined like a fish, possessing two pair of limbs that acted as the fore and rear legs. They possessed webbed feet while their claws extended unusually long. They faintly vibrated, manipulating the water around them, forcing the Frenzy Beast to move faster.

Soon, Rhachis Ancestor Strongest noticed the approach of the seabed, watching a pair of rocks glisten in a red hue. Faint specks of blue and green circulated them like flies, eventually condensing into a small mound before dispersing once again, repeating the phenomenon in a loop.

It was a massive trench, wide enough for their massive bodies to pale in comparison. After all, the Tier 5 Frenzy Beast was 40 metres in length. It was a massive creature whose every movement created faint undercurrents.

The Tier 5 Frenzy Beast swam along the trench, shattering small rocks that were in its path. Lava spewed out from the shattered rocks, instantly suppressed by the water pressure and solidified. Unlike the upper dark parts, the trench was well-illuminated thanks to the glowing specks.

The Tier 5 Frenzy Beast soon arrived before a massive hole; reddish-yellow light radiated from the hole that spanned 300 metres in diameter. All the Frenzy Beasts immediately swam inside.

’What the hell have they done to our earth?’ Rhachis Ancestor Strongest furrowed, noticing a massive dome the ends of which he couldn’t perceive. He didn’t want to unleash his aura to probe around, for the time being, watching where the Tier 5 Frenzy Beasts headed towards.

Unlike the trench, the area in the dome was barely illuminated by faint blue specks. The water pressure here was tremendous to the extent even the Tier 5 Frenzy Beast slowed down. As for the Tier 2 Frenzy Beasts, they could barely move, struggling to breathe.

Despite everything, they persisted. The Tier 5 and the Tier 4 Frenzy Beasts took the lead, increasing their distance from the group as they proceeded further downward. Fierce undercurrents moved about, throwing them off at every instant. They could only helplessly suffer from it, beginning to move when the undercurrents died down or had moved them beyond their range of influence.

Time passed in such a manner, the Tier 5 Frenzy Beast was panicking more and more. Rhachis Ancestor Strongest closed his eyes for a second, ’We are probably 14 kilometres below sea level.’

He soon noticed a massive dark figure hover underneath, with vibrant lights flashing around it. Powerful undercurrents were stirred up as a battle ensued. It was a massive diamond-shaped being, possessing five long tentacles.

On one side of the diamond existed a large mouth, enclosing two other mouths, ragged with triangular-shaped teeth inside. Every time it opened its mouth, undercurrents were produced. Covering its body were tentacles the size of 20 metres each. They morphed between solid and jelly-like, defending against the attacks.

Wounds were created on its body, with each gash drawing out a stream of glowing blood, a mixture of blue and green that swerved out and made a curve before retreating into the wound. A couple of seconds later, the wound began regenerating.

Specks of blood that were left out began to float upwards, swirling around fellow glowing specks as they danced, forming various patterns. The diamond-shaped beast used its five massive tentacles to defend and attack, moving with difficulty under the water pressure.

Each tentacle was around 200 metres long while its main body was 80 metres in size. It was a behemoth. Currently, its aura continued to dim as it battled. Rhachis Ancestor Strongest faintly sensed the quality of its aura, his gaze sharpening while he understood the reason he sensed the lingering presence of Rhachis Ancestor Parasite’s aura above water.

Tier 6 Frenzy Beast!

It was a Skep that had developed to Tier 6 level. But, sensing its diminishing aura, he judged it as a Frenzy Beast that had only recently attained Tier 6. ’It has yet to recover from the damage it suffered from its breakthrough. Once it heals itself, it would probably dominate the entire water.’

But, the Tier 6 Frenzy Beast was currently being overwhelmed by its foes. Rhachis Ancestor Strongest spotted 28 Skeps surrounding it, attacking from all sides. They possessed varying forms but were similarly sized to the Tier 6 Frenzy Beast.

Upon a sensory sweep, Rhachis Ancestor Strongest figured that all the attacking Skeps didn’t possess any Frenzy Parasites in them. ’So, the rumours are true. The Skeps have evolved beyond the need for Frenzy Parasites, so they detest anyone that has a Frenzy Parasite. This Frenzy Beast seems to have broken through only a week ago. So, they made use of its weakened state to attack it.’

As the Tier 6 Frenzy was still recovering from the injuries of its breakthrough, it couldn’t use any Skills nor could it draw upon the energy reserves of its Heart Crystal. Its Heart crystal was still healing while it had expended all its energy in the breakthrough.

In its current state, even activating a Tier 1 Skill would further worsen its injuries and delay its recovery process. If it persisted with it, then it would permanently damage itself and would be unable to experience any Nurturing effect in the future.

Rhachis Ancestor Strongest frowned, ’But, it has broken through to Tier 6. Even an idiot can determine its value but, why hasn’t Parasite rushed to save it? After all, shouldn’t it be capable of sensing the presence of all Frenzy Parasites, not to mention a Frenzy Parasite such as this that had evolved 6 times?’

He then decided to wait and see, watching the Tier 5 Frenzy Beast swim in a hurry and begin attacking a Skep. It opened its mouth, activating all its five Skills at the same time to produce a bluish-white beam that impacted a Skep.

The Skep trembled under the attack, the area the beam touched had frozen while the flesh began to melt soon after. The Skep retaliated with its tentacles, failing to catch the Tier 5 Frenzy Beast that slipped using its superior speeds.

Under such depths, everyone was affected, constrained in their movements. Using all its Skills, the Tier 5 Frenzy Beast barely overcame the restriction to the extent its speed surpassed their tentacles. But, within a few seconds, the Skep had fully recovered from the damage, regrowing the lost flesh without having expended much energy.

’So, they possess a reserve of energy in their bodies, Just like our Heart Crystals.’ Rhachis Ancestor Strongest thought. This was his first time seeing a Skep up close. During the previous Wave, he was only at Tier 5, not qualified to search for them. But now, he had the opportunity.

The Skep didn’t seem fazed at the energy expenditure to heal its body, continuing to attack the Tier 5 Frenzy Beast. In the meantime, the other Skeps continued to attack the Tier 6 Frenzy Beast, dealing wounds one after another.

When they were injured, they swiftly healed, making it a battle of attrition. Soon, the Tier 4 Frenzy Beasts arrived at the scene, each attacking a Skep to distract them. The Skeps retaliated in return, reducing the pressure on the Tier 6 Frenzy Beast.

Among them, a Tier 4 Frenzy Beast slithered through the gaps, targeting a certain Skep that hadn’t launched a single attack till now. The moment it was about to open its mouth, three Skeps blocked its path and unleashed their tentacles, blocking its escape routes.

Soon, it was constricted and crushed by the tentacles. A tentacle glowed with a gentle blue hue, freezing the crushed body, killing the Frenzy Parasite within. They seemed capable of sensing the presence of Frenzy Parasites.

A Skep opened its mouth and ate the crushed body, swallowing it in one gulp before proceeding to attack the Tier 6 Frenzy Beast. This interaction allowed Rhachis Ancestor Strongest to glean some clues, trailing his gaze to the Skep that hadn’t moved once till now.

Judging based on their battle positions, it was at the safest spot. The Skep was a tad larger than the others, also possessing 6 large tentacles, instead of the usual 5. Its body faintly glowed with a blue hue, releasing glowing particles into the water.

An instant later, the particles dimmed, but they moved in the water, proceeding to line up on the edges, forming a barrier of sorts. Without disturbing anything, Rhachis Ancestor Strongest probed around, using the myriad methods under his disposal, shocked at the result, ’It actually managed to block out Parasite’s senses?’