Chapter 106: Retaliation

Jyorta placed his hand over his chest, feeling his heart race like crazy, as if he had just sprinted at full speed for 200 metres. Faint traces of sweat appeared on his skin—gushed out through the pores—making the tracksuit stick to his body.

Looking at the broiling winds that impacted the barrier, Jyorta felt a sense of foreboding, making him worry. He swerved his head, looking past each faces gathered in the ground, avoiding all the Warriors, focusing only on the Espers.

"I'll be back," He said to the Warrior boy, rushing through the crowd, searching for a figure with short stature. Soon, he paused in place, trying his best to calm himself down. After taking in a deep breath, he began to walk with composure, weaving through the crowd.

The students got flustered at the ensuing phenomenon, noticing the figures of Madam Mary, and Madam Mila disappear from view; discussions erupted among them, trying to guess the reason.

Suddenly, a figure crashed into the ground, landing 50 metres from the barrier, the impact sending tremors coursing through the ground, making the students lose their balance. A 20-metre wide crater had formed, 6 metres in depth.

A figure jumped out from it, walking towards the students, placing a hand on the barrier, his expression calm. The barrier shattered, producing sounds similar to glass breaking. The figure waved his hands, impacting the broiling winds through the gust generated from his action, abating them, turning the surroundings calm.

He looked at the students, his booming voice rang out, "Run to the Head Office now. This is not a drill. I repeat; this is not a drill."

Having been trained extensively in the possibility of such a situation, the students didn't run away in a fluster, trying their best to maintain order.

The students from the November Batch took charge—boasting the greatest strength among the students. They ensured the students didn't panic, leading them towards the Head Office Building, breaking into a sprint.

Despite the speed, they controlled the crowd. When it seemed like the situation was about to go out of hand, the October Batch too joined suit, helping their fellow students. Soon, the ground staff flew overhead, using their psychic energy to ensure no one tripped and fell, also maintaining order.

The ground staff released discrete flux charges of their psychic energy, coursing them through each building. In a matter of seconds, the faculty members within the buildings charged out, grabbing hold of the students still within the building.

They soon joined the crowd, sprinting towards the Head Office Building.

Finally, Jyorta managed to locate Laila, taking a glance at her expression from far away, feeling his heart lurch. Laila was mechanically following the student before her, distracted. She had her head bowed, casting a shadow on her facial features.

Her posture was slumped, her running following no rhythm, forming a stark contrast to her usual self. Jyorta inched his way towards her, finally able to glance at her expression in clarity, flabbergasted at the situation.

Shock! Hatred! Sadness! Fury!

The emotions broiled in her, evident by her facial expression. She gritted her teeth, her face looking twisted, desperately trying to control herself.

The blue soul in him shuddered, shivering like a leaf caught in a storm. Jyorta hurriedly retraced his steps, arriving in his initial position, far away from Laila, gently removing the half-finished false persona.

Once everyone had entered the Head Office Building, the staff stood on the periphery, forming rows and rows of defence lines. The Espers stood behind the Warriors, using their bodies as shields, deploying their psychic energy, forming a barrier that enveloped the Head Office Building, creating multiple layers.

The figure that led them towards the Head Office Building, the vice-principal of the military academy stood at the entrance of the Head Office Building, silently murmuring beneath his breath, "Activate all defensive Relics. And, send a report to Central Command."

A ground staff standing beside him transmitted the contents, sending it towards the top of the Head Office Building, towards a well-guarded room. Immediately, the barriers surrounding the building multiplied, forming a dense cluster, merging into a singular entity.

In the military Academy, the staff members were Tier 4 at the very least. Only then were they qualified to join. Moreover, quite a few Tier 5 powerhouses were guarding the region, protecting the students from harm. After all, the students were the next generation, the blood, and sweat of past generations, the pillars of the future.

The students were seated in the many auditoriums in the building. Thankfully, there was more than enough space to accommodate them all.

Cosmi Tumbler, the vice-principal of the military academy stood at the forefront, ready to brave any unexpected attacks. His back looked erect, instilling a sense of safety in the hearts of the ground staff and the other staff members. He was a Transformer, one who stood at the peak of Tier 5.

Hidden away from them was a face full of worry, covered in sweat. His lips shivered, as if he had been stranded in a cold desert. But, in response to his duty, he controlled his facial expression, dissipating the formed sweat, putting on a strong front.

Though, concealed beneath all those emotions was hatred, uncontrollable hatred. If not for the fact that the moment he made a move, the resulting collateral damage would affect the students, he would have acted long ago.

He stood in silence, braving through a myriad of emotions. Moreover, he knew that even if he were to act, the outcome wasn't guaranteed. After all, he wasn't even qualified to face the other party.

Path 98, level 1; the 8-centimetre tall figure had finished forming, glancing at the three ladies standing before it. It opened its mouth, forming a smile, putting on an amicable expression, "Isn't today's weather pleasant, Marble?"

No sooner had it spoken did a layer of magenta appear on the soles of its feet, inching its way up, coursing through its legs. A streak of magenta appeared before the three ladies, forming the figure of Psychic Ancestor Marble.

The figure of Psychic Ancestor Marble formed a stark contrast to his usual self, pissed beyond belief. Underneath it laid an emotion of disbelief, the shock apparent, witnessing the figure before him. The regions surrounding his eyes cracked, like veins that had popped out, emitting ear-piercing sounds. He opened his mouth, trying his best to mask his emotions, uttering each syllable of the other party's name, "P.A.R.A.S.I.T.E."

"I took great pains to infiltrate your city but, you wouldn't even greet me personally, only sending a figure made from your Skill." The 8-centimetre tall figure pouted, taking a glance at the magenta that had reached its hips, furthering its way up.

Seeing a lack of response, the 8-centimetre tall figure showcased its mouth, displaying its lack of teeth, "Just like the lot of you, I too have been studying my Skill, comprehending its nature, its essence. After making a minor breakthrough, I wanted to show it off to you guys. After all, I should show you the method that would eventually kill you, right?"

In Central Command, otherwise known as Circle Zero, seated within a cave in mount Nilgiri, Psychic Ancestor Marble opened his eyes, emitting a gentle flux of psychic energy, coursing it through the entirety of the city, rushing to inspect every region.

The spread of magenta had reached its face, turning its mouth and nose rigid, seeping into the region where a pair of eyes ought to have existed. No longer able to speak, the hundred Frenzy Parasites that made up its hair converged into one spot, forming a mouth that lacked teeth. It spewed out a string of words, its tone filled with derision.

"Since I am able to infiltrate even Marble City, the other cities should be relatively simpler to go into. You were idiots for having killed Space. At least, her presence ensured a method of contact between the cities." Seeing the magenta spread even to its newly formed mouth, a Frenzy Parasite extended out, burning itself up to state its final sentence.

"I assume you are reaching the end of your lifespan but, don't worry. A day before your natural death is the day I will kill you. I will also make your precious city accompany you. Man, I can't help but recall the expression on Light as I destroyed his city. It was simply priceless…"

The entire figure turned magenta, shattering into dust in the next instant, vaporising a moment later. The magenta figure belonging to Psychic Ancestor Marble stood in silence, like a statue, unmoving, his expression staid.

Madam Mila knelt beside him, hitting her forehead on the ground, producing a loud bang, spewing out a lot of blood. "It was my carelessness that led to this."

Five psychic arms emerged from her head, wrapping around her body, intending to crush her into pulp. A thin psychic arm broke them, preventing her from killing herself.

A soft voice echoed, bereft of emotions, "Heal her, Mary."

Seated in a cave in mount Nilgiri, Psychic Ancestor Marble received feedback from every military academy. All the figures that had invaded his city had been dealt with, or so he thought when numerous captured Frenzy Beasts exploded, spewing out litres and litres of the Essence of Frenzy, having replaced their blood at some point in time.

The researchers studying the various Frenzy Beast anatomy, researching for new Unranked Skills, trying to develop powerful Artifacts, etc. were affected, with countless of them dying. The Essence of Frenzy seeped into their bodies, affecting the Wisdom Parasite in them, making them lose control, irrespective of their strength.

It then led them to attack the nearby people, coursing the Essence of Frenzy into the bodies of the victims through the attacks, also leading them to lose control when it had accumulated enough. The effects spread like the plague, causing the loss of lives of prime functional members of the city, the ones in charge of research and development, the driving force of the Marble City's development.

"Dammit!" Psychic Ancestor Marble shouted, releasing the brunt of his aura, targeting everything that wasn't human in his city, starting from the Upper Strata, all the way to the Water Strata, the deepest in Marble City. Every Frenzy Beast burst into a pool of blood, turned into marble before its contents spilled on others.

The Wisdom Plants carefully nurtured by him in the Fruit and Grain Strata also weren't spared, killed instantly. Even the special Wisdom Plants in the 7th Ring, the ones that produced the Frenzy Fruits turned into marble.

The walls of Marble city shone with a resplendent hue, emitting his aura in all directions, spread out from his city as the centre. Immediately, every Frenzy Beast, irrespective of their Tier, situated within 200 kilometres from Marble City died, burst into a pool of blood.

The ground cracked, causing tremors to course through it. Winds were stirred up, forming tornadoes—each spanning 300 metres in diameter. They lifted the ground, throwing them everywhere, dyed in a shade of black and red, having absorbed the remains of the Frenzy Beasts.

Lightning smote down from the sky, flashing everywhere, the accompanying sounds shaking the very earth. A streak of light—white in colour—flashed above Marble City, forming the figure of Rhachis Ancestor Light.

Having been filled in the details by Psychic Ancestor Marble, he was seething in rage. He emitted a massive amount of energy, turning it into a spear, ten kilometres in length, and a hundred metres in radius.

Unranked Skill—Light Symphony!

Its tip was pointed, unbelievable sharp. A flash of magenta appeared, forming a coat over it, its defensive properties reinforcing the sturdiness of the spear. Rhachis Ancestor Light emitted transparent energy, having activated his Tier 6 Skill, seeping it into the tip, forming an ethereal feeling of it capable of severing anything.

The tip of the spear pointed towards the south-east, taking a moment to stabilise itself. Then, actuated by Rhachis Ancestor Light, it travelled at the speed of light, heading towards the perpetrator, signalling their wrath filled retaliation.