Chapter 319: Declaration of War

The blade of light was two kilometres long, swung with all his might. The momentum its bladed tip carried was tremendous as it slashed towards its target.

"It's been awhile…Light." A tentacle rose from within the water, morphing into a human hand, but giant-sized. Faint bluish-white light converged on its surface as the blade came into contact with it. The sound of the explosion created a powerful sonic book that pushed away the surrounding Skeps, the water forming a wave as the area of contact was bereft of it.

A massive tide was created as a result; the water gushed into the vacancy only after more than ten seconds had passed. Such was the power held within the blade's swing. The hand that caught the blade though, was mostly unharmed, only sporting a cut that healed within a couple of seconds.

The hands gripped the blade of light, exerting strength, cracking it with every passing second, shattering it after a dozen seconds had passed. Despite the clash, the figure was concealed beneath the water. Even though it was right before him, Rhachis Ancestor Light felt some difficulties in perceiving its strength.

"Why…are you still alive? Didn't Parasite and…he kill you two centuries ago?" Rhachis Ancestor Light spoke while gritting his teeth, his hands trembling under the rage while condensing another blade of light.

"So, Wisdom is dead and Frenzy calls himself Parasite now." The voice echoed from within the water, filled with a derisive sneer, grasping the necessary details from that exchange. "I suppose it is to be expected. Things are bound to change in my absence. It is not yet the time for me to appear."

The water swirled as the Skep within dissolved into it, its presence vanishing, leaving behind a statement, "When the Parasite path hits its end, and Parasite achieves his peak strength, I'll make my appearance. We'll decide once and for all on whose path is superior."

"Don't leave!" Rhachis Ancestor Light unleashed a massive beam of light into the water, parting it all the way to its seabed. But, there were no traces of the Skep. It had vanished through mysterious means.

"There are no traces," Psychic Ancestor Marble spoke, appearing beside Rhachis Ancestor Light, his expression a scowl. He had left his post and exited Marble City, scouring the sea in search of clues.

The other Skeps began to retreat one after another, vanishing with the same means as the Skep that fought with Rhachis Ancestor Light. The scene made the two Ancestors frown, their detection methods failing to figure out the cause.

Followed by a streak of light, Atika Light arrived at the scene, looking at the disappearing scene of the Skeps. She silently recorded all the data while Psychic Ancestor Marble guarded her with his full strength.

Except for the Skeps that were participants of the Lacquer Wave, the remaining had vanished, as if they had never existed, to begin with. When Atika Light recorded every possible clue she obtained, she turned around, gazing at Rhachis Ancestor Light, "Is that Skep…"

"Yes," Rhachis Ancestor Light nodded, "It is the first Skep. It was an octopus, and one of the first Frenzy Beasts Parasite had created. At that time, Parasite was only at Tier 1. It didn't have control over the Frenzy Parasites it had created back then. Eventually, when the octopus became Tier 5, it discovered the path of evolution."

"It also discovered that Parasite was slowly gaining control over the Frenzy Parasites it had created as it developed in strength. When Parasite was at Tier 5, the octopus had already destroyed the Frenzy Parasite in it, survived, and embarked on the path of evolution." Rhachis Ancestor Light gritted his teeth, recalling memories buried deep in his mind, "When Parasite became Tier 6, the octopus became a Skep."

"The two included were the cause that plunged the world into the dark ages. As every day passed, we were expending more of our military strength to guard our territories. We first lost the sea, followed by the air, and were losing our lands with every passing day." He sighed, "Leave it, let's talk about it at another time. I thought it was killed, but to think that it was still alive. This marks the upcoming of turbulent times."

"How strong is it?" Atika Light retracted the beam of light she cast on the ocean. She only used her Tier 4 Skill in conjunction with her Unranked Skill. She didn't want to expose her Tier 5 Skill out in the open like this. Too many eyes were trained on them at present. Her Tier 5 Skill was a closely guarded secret. To the knowledge of the Frenzy Beast races, humanity only possessed one Tier 5 Skill, Warlord Transformation.

"Most probably around Reef's level. It cannot win against me in a frontal fight but its methods are most probably many times my own. The Skeps are not bound by logic or limitations." Rhachis Ancestor Light's eyes spewed intense hatred.

He controlled himself, preventing his aura from leaking out in fear that it would kill Atika Light. Psychic Ancestor Marble shielded her with two of his psychic arms in response, frowning as he looked at the ocean waves, "Something is approaching."

The air was flowing strangely, guided by the aura in them. It swirled, forming intense gales while the ocean turned turbulent. The aura in the air cried out in strain, struggling as the presences in them were snuffed out one by one.

The trio gazed southeast, their expressions turning solemn. Psychic Ancestor Marble hurriedly made a trip to Marble City, placing Atika Light under the security of the city walls. He then reappeared beside Rhachis Ancestor Light, his expression one of alarm, having already unleashed all six psychic arms.

The psychic arms turned magenta, immediately entering his most optimal battle state. Rhachis Ancestor Light was no different. A formless energy gushed out of his body, severing everything it came into contact with.

It was a storm, dense mist formed from the vaporisation of the ocean water while the kinetic energy induced lightning within. Fire formed on the periphery while the temperate differences caused the air to swirl. Running within was a figure, each of its steps exuding tremendous presence.

It was making the aura of the environment scream in protest, unable to endure its presence. As the figure appeared on the horizon, Rhachis Ancestor Light and Psychic Ancestor Marble shuddered, their expression one of alarm, ready to wage a battle of life and death.

"It's here," Rhachis Ancestor Light muttered in a soft breath, sweat covered his forehead while his arms slightly trembled in fear. The formless energy gushing out of his body increased in intensity while white light condensed underneath him, forming a foothold, accumulating terrifying reserves of energy.

Rhachis Ancestor Parasite!

Its arrival caused the bodies of the Swarm to burst one after another. The Skeps retreated deep into their domain the moment they sensed the stir in the aura. Even though they were full of hatred, they swiftly vacated the scene.

Mount Nilgiris, Circle Zero, Marble City; Atika Light flew within the palace, arriving before a massive altar. It was a Tier 6 Relic, a lifetime's worth of Psychic Ancestor Marble's accumulation. It was what manned Marble City's barrier.

Apart from the Ancestors, only Atika Light had the authority to use it. She immediately took charge, having long activated her Tier 5 Skill, controlling everything in Marble City. Thoughts clashed in her head, overwhelming her immediately.

She persisted using the methods at her disposal, making an announcement to all the soldiers on the city walls, "Attention all soldiers, Rhachis Ancestor Parasite is in proximity to our city. I repeat, Rhachis Ancestor Parasite is in proximity to our city. Cease all fighting with the Swarm and infuse your aura into the walls. As for the Espers, overlay your psychic arms underneath the barrier. Every soldier of Marble city, follow the instructions!"

She repeated the announcement a couple more times while controlling the city walls, absorbing all the aura the soldiers infused into it, creating an aura barrier to shield from Rhachis Ancestor Parasite's aura attacks.

All the Espers overlayed their psychic arms underneath the barrier covering their city. Every able-bodied soldier participated; their expressions solemn, but their collective strength reinforcing the city's barrier to unprecedented levels.

The bustling city paused all activity, parents accompanying their children suddenly disappeared, leaving the children in confused states. Standing on a footpath was an 8-year-old girl, confused and teary-eyed after her mother just disappeared. What was even stranger was the appearance of a baby in her hands. Before she knew it, she was holding the baby.

A group of five children were playing a game, engaging in their merry when the power went off, plunging the room in darkness. The backup lamp, powered by a battery switched on, breathing some light into the room. But, it was still dull as compared to before, casting shadows in many places.

The children were scared, unable to find their parents who had been discussing something in the hall just seconds ago. The surroundings had turned dead silent.

In a hospital's operating room, five Espers had been operating on a patient who had been critically injured in a mission. The Essence of Frenzy had completely corroded his spine, also seeping into his brain, putting him in a state of frenzy.

He was bound by yellow chains, created by a Sky Controller from the Marble Family to restrain him. But, just when they were at a critical juncture, the announcement resounded. Immediately, the five Espers abandoned the patient without any hesitation, heading to reinforce the walls. The situation was urgent to the extent they couldn't make any preparations, even though they knew of the disaster that would ensue upon their choice.

The patient was placid for a couple of seconds before his body struggled to break free. Veins popped on his skin while bumps appeared on his head, oozing out blood. His ribcage broke, the bones piercing through the skin and peaking out as the Wisdom Parasite drilled out, absorbing the Essence of Frenzy, and slowly becoming a Frenzy Parasite as time passed.

It slithered on the floor, exiting the hospital before locating an apartment complex. It could make out faint cries of children from within, slithering in the direction.