Chapter 279: What If One Gets Parasitized?
Gareth flicked his forked tongue over his lips and scoffed, "So what?"
A chill ran through Hecate, and her teeth chattered. CLACK. CLACK. She growled, "You’re the Prince of the Blade-Wing Insectoids! How can you do this to your own people? Even if you hate The Everwake, you shouldn’t have..."
"Shouldn’t have collaborated with the Parasite Swarm? Heh. Hecate, for a Swarm Queen, you’re unbelievably stupid."
"I’ve lost everything! The Blade-Wing Insectoids should have been mine, but they all follow The Everwake! They all believe he can lead our people out of this damned Triangle Abyss and to a vaster continent!"
"By what right?"
"Hecate, I won’t accept this! By what right does a mere cast-off get to stand above me?!"
Gareth’s expression was savage, his low voice filled with madness.
’If I can’t have it, no one can.’
’The Swarm is trapped in the Triangle Abyss, only able to leave the roiling clouds during the rainy season. But the Parasite Swarm is different. They can possess birds at will and escape the Triangle Abyss. The people want to leave, don’t they? Fine, I’ll grant them their wish!’
’When the rainy season came, The Everwake led the Swarm members who couldn’t shapeshift out of the Triangle Abyss, giving me the perfect opportunity.’
’Heh, a pathetic male who was brought down by a female gets to be King of the Blade-Wing Insectoids? How laughable!’
Terrified, Hecate took a step back, biting her red lip. She didn’t dare say another word to provoke him.
Seeing her terror, Gareth grinned. Sharp mandibles split open from the corners of his mouth, ruining his handsome face.
He seized Hecate’s chin, forcing her to face The Everwake. His foul breath washed over her cheek as he spoke. "Hecate, you abandoned me and chose The Everwake, too. Watch closely now. Watch and see what becomes of him."
’It was I who gave the Parasite Swarm the idea: use the rainy season to storm out of the Triangle Abyss, secretly infiltrate the territory of the Lemur Clan, capture them one by one, devour their brains to possess them, and then, when the time was right, return to the Triangle Abyss!’
’And just as I expected, the plan worked perfectly.’
’Soon, the entire Triangle Abyss will be plunged into chaos, which is exactly what I wanted to see.’
’As for Hecate...’ Gareth glanced at her pale, pretty face and sneered. ’I was never interested in a female like her. But she shattered my last hope of reclaiming the throne. I’ll torture her. I’ll make her watch with her own eyes and see what a terrible mistake it was not to choose me. I’ll make her regret it! I’ll make her suffer!’
At the thought, a thrill of indescribable pleasure surged through Gareth.
*
「Meanwhile.」
The Everwake coldly eyed the swarming Lemurs. His twelve magnificent Feather Wings trembled, and he shot into the sky, transforming into a brilliant streak of light.
He clenched his fist, and a grim long spear materialized in his hand.
It was a Bone Spear, pieced together from menacing joints, each segment gleaming with a sinister, cold light.
Savagery roiled within The Everwake’s rainbow-colored, multifaceted eyes. His expression turned fierce as he roared, "Kill—!"
The Blade-Wing Insectoid warriors behind him took a deep breath and beat their wings in unison. The metallic wings sliced through the air with a sharp shriek. Like a black tide, they followed The Everwake, soaring into the sky.
For the Blade-Wing Insectoids, their very wings were weapons. This was the deadly edge they held over the other two great Swarm factions!
Watching them clash desperately with the Lemur Clan, the members of the Corrosive Swarm looked grim, exchanging uneasy glances. Though terrified by the intimidating Lemurs, they didn’t dare to simply leave, and they certainly weren’t going to help the Blade-Wing Insectoids.
"The Queen is gone! We have to find the Queen!" a Corrosive Swarm warrior shouted. They backed away as they moved, quickly exiting the battlefield.
Meanwhile, the Blade-Wing Insectoids and the Lemur Clan were locked in combat, a swarming, dark mass that seemed to make the very air stagnate.
With terrified expressions, the members of the Corrosive Swarm quickly fled the Blade-Wing Insectoids’ territory. The Lemur Clan, their attention occupied, did not give chase.
The Everwake brandished his Bone Spear, his Feather Wings spinning. His slender figure in mid-air was like that of a god of slaughter.
His Bone Spear pierced a Lemur Beastman’s throat, but no blood seeped out. The empty skin, like a punctured balloon, fell limply to the ground. Immediately after, a black mist gathered, and a humanoid figure slowly began to reform.
The Everwake’s rainbow-colored eyes were filled with utter savagery. Staring at the reforming figure, he abruptly retreated. A fine dust scattered from his Feather Wings, sprinkling onto the black smoke. Like a natural counter, it produced a loud SIZZLE.
The black, humanoid figure let out a piercing shriek and dissipated into smoke before it could even fully form.
The Everwake didn’t even blink, already turning his Bone Spear toward the other Lemurs.
The battlefield was littered with the mutilated corpses of the Blade-Wing Insectoids, as well as the countless empty skins of the Lemurs and wisps of darting black smoke.
In the blink of an eye, the once-jubilant territory of the Blade-Wing Insectoids had become an Inferno.
...
「Aboard the airship.」
Though they were now far from the possessed Lemur Clan, Genesis still trembled in Evangeline’s arms.
The little one’s suppressed sobs were continuous. Nearby, Thorne stood with his arms crossed, glancing at the boy but saying nothing.
’Actually,’ he thought, ’crying now makes sense. After all, The Everwake is probably going to die today.’
Loras watched Genesis cry, his heart aching for him. He wanted to say something but didn’t know how to offer comfort. ’He just met his father, only to be forced to leave right away, perhaps never to see him again. Of course he’s heartbroken.’
Julian stood in a corner, also remaining silent.
’I have a score to settle with the Corrosive Swarm,’ he thought. ’And while I didn’t get my revenge personally, given the situation down in the Triangle Abyss, the Parasite Swarm is bound to become the new ruler. Once the Blade-Wing Insectoids are wiped out, the Corrosive Swarm will be next.’
’Either way, that’s good news for me.’
Julian couldn’t help but look toward Evangeline. She was standing at the ship’s bow, holding Genesis, bathed in the rosy afterglow of the setting sun.
Evangeline pulled her gaze back from the distance, raising a hand to gently wipe away Genesis’s tears. "No more crying."
Genesis’s beautiful, rainbow-colored eyes were swollen and puffy. He blinked, and his little mouth moved, but he said nothing. He simply wrapped his arms gently around Evangeline’s neck and pressed his cheek against hers as fresh tears streamed down his face.
’I want to listen to Mama and stop crying,’ he thought, ’but whenever I think about Papa holding me just now, I can’t help it.’
"There, there, no more crying. Your father will be fine. He has to come find his Genesis, and he’s going to stay with Genesis forever. Mama promises, okay?" Evangeline placed Genesis into Loras’s arms, gently wiping his tears as she spoke in the softest of voices.
"Eva!" Thorne sensed something and shot to his feet, his dark green, slitted pupils flashing with danger.
Loras’s body tensed as well, his arms holding Genesis growing rigid. He said in a low, firm voice, "I’ll go with you!"
Julian’s brow furrowed, and he whispered, "If you go back now, you’ll be facing the Parasite Swarm!"
The Parasite Swarm moves without a trace; they’re the most dangerous of all. If you’re possessed by one, there’s no escape.
’Evangeline is strong, but what if? What if she gets possessed?’
’The Parasite Swarm wouldn’t spare a female just for being beautiful. On the contrary, they would lay their eggs inside her body to ensure their species continues. It’s cruel and disgusting.’
