Psychic Parasite

Chapter 243: A Rough Battle

"Urgh," Jyorta grunted, noticing a thin stream of blood seep out from his left hand. A tooth of the Spiked Lizard finally broke past all defences, piercing his skin. Even though he had recreated a barrier over his arm, it wasn't as strong as before. After all, it had to layer the tongue of the Spiked Lizard wound over his arm.

If it tried to go under the tongue, it shattered every time the tongue tightened its hold. Even though it was recreated, the teeth of the Spiked Lizard continued to press on it, quickly shattering it, finally breaking through his armour's defences.

Jyorta rolled on the ground, with the Spiked Lizard in tow. Finally, its body trembled erratically before turning limp. His spindle had finally drilled its way into the Spiked Lizard's brain and had damaged enough.

But, despite its body turning limp, its hold on his arm remained. Its body was really heavy, almost half his body weight. Carrying it with him as he moved around, Jyorta was taking a lot of damage. The strain in his muscles increased, the pain he felt amplified as he rolled on the uneven ground, with the sharp rocks piercing him.

Jyorta retracted the barrier covering his body, using the weaker psychic arm to grab a spindle. His stronger psychic arm placed the spindle next to him, following him as he tried to stand up. The spikes on the Spiked Lizard's back prevented him from rolling. It took him everything he had to roll twice.

As he tried to get up, Jyorta noticed the Ring Worms become ready to attack him. A single second of pause was all they needed to spring into action. His right hand grabbed hold of a stronger looking spike, exerting all the strength available into his legs. Thanks to his domain's input, he timed his jump.

His legs barely moved up. The only reason they moved above the ground was that Jyorta had bent his legs during the jump. The elevation of his line of sight hardly changed. That was all he could do while carrying a Frenzy Beast that weighed half as much as him.

Just as he expected, the Ring Worms drilled out from the spot his feet had been on the ground. But, what greeted them weren't his meaty legs but two alloys of dismemberment. The spindle entered the Ring Worm's body through its open mouth, turning a little before aiming at its heart.

The chakram too slid into the other Ring Worm's mouth, due to its radius only being five centimetres. The mouth of the Ring Worm was slightly larger. As for a couple of muscle strands that were in the way, the spindle cut through them as it began to spin.

The pain caused them to involuntarily bend their heads forward, in a struggle. No sooner had they done so did his legs land upon them, the momentum slamming them to the ground. Their bodies were compressed, the muscles in them unable to overcome the weight he carried.

He had landed around 10 centimetres below their head, not allowing them enough room to bend their mouths to bite him. But, they still struggled to wriggle free out of his hold. They controlled their body muscles, varying the toughness in them, seeking to imbalance him.

Jyorta almost lost his balance as they wriggled the muscles in their bodies. The floor was uneven as is, not to mention the weight he was carrying while stepping on the bodies of the two Ring Worms. Any more disturbances and he would fall.

Before it could come to pass, his Refined Objects damaged them from within. His aura also served to numb their muscles, leaving them weak. It took almost 20 seconds before Jyorta judged the two Ring Worms as dead.

Still being cautious, he made a light jump and took a couple of steps forward, tumbling along the way and sliding on the ground. He noticed through his domain that their severed bodies still twitched. Using his chakram, he finished them off.

The chakram then arrived before him, beginning to cut the tongue wrapped around his left hand. He had to be careful, unwilling to cut his hand in his hurry. While he was occupied with the task, Jyorta heard the cries of the other Spiked Lizards. The moment they smelled the blood of their brethren, they entered a state of frenzy.

The sounds of stones hitting the ground, rolling on the rocky surface, and mud falling on the boulders echoed. The Spiked Lizards were resisting with greater intensity. Jyorta also noticed his aura beginning to faintly grow weaker.

It was a sign of fatigue being built up in him. His aura wasn't an inexhaustible resource. It was just the cells in his body exerting their presence. As his body grew tired, so too did his aura. Therefore, the Spiked Lizards were showing signs of movement.

Due to the darkness, Jyorta couldn't see their conditions. All he could do was make a guess based on the sounds. Finally, his chakram severed through a part of the tongue, allowing him to pull out the winding shackle. As a long part of a severed tongue came off, Jyorta winced in pain. His left hand experienced a feeling of being burned; It was also growing numb. He also felt difficulty in exerting strength through it.

Jyorta stepped foot on an overgrowth along its lower jaw, having placed its body on the ground. His right hand grabbed hold of its upper jaw and began to pull, feeling the muscles in his hand strain themselves.

The strength in its jaw was greater than his expectations; Jyorta felt difficulty in pulling it up. His two psychic arms helped him, adding on their powers. Finally, he barely managed to pull it up until the tooth lodged in his hand came out. He hurriedly pulled out his left hand and took a step back, watching the jaws of the Spiked Lizard clamp with a loud noise.

Hearing the sound, Jyorta unconsciously held his left hand, thanking for the fact that had hadn't lost it. He felt difficulty in retrieving the spindle lodged within its jaws, deciding to leave it there after a moment of thought. It was partially lodged into the skull, also bending a little during the tussle.

It would be hard for him to retrieve it unless he opened its jaws. Even then he would have to struggle a lot. The situation didn't allow him the time and strength to do so. So Jyorta had no choice but to abandon it.

His other spindle drilled its way through the Spiked Lizard's body, using a path lined with softer muscles. It eventually reached its heart before coming out. Dropping the spindle next to its body, his psychic arm flashed through the drilled part and fished out its Heart Crystal. Shedding the muscle tissues and blood covering it, the psychic arm dropped the Heart Crystal in the pouch.

The two psychic arms fished out the Heart Crystals from the Ring Worms as Jyorta picked up his sword. There was blood coating its surface, dulling the blood-soaked edge. It was due to the Essence of Frenzy within it.

"The Essence of Frenzy," Jyorta was startled after being reminded about it, seeping his psychic arm through the wound on his left hand, pulling out something that induced a burning feeling in him. The moment he extracted some mangled muscle tissue and blood, he felt the burning sensation abate by a large margin.

Thanks to his aura unleashed in full swing, and the quality of the Essence of frenzy being inferior due to it originating from an Observer, it hadn't managed to seep deep into him. Jyorta took a minute to treat his hand, finally wrapping the gauze around it.

He still felt difficulty in exerting strength in his left; the feeling of pain began to distract his focus, occupying more and more of his thoughts. His stronger psychic arm carried the chakram while his weaker psychic arm formed a barrier that shielded him, enacting the previous effects.

Feeling the pain, Jyorta thought, 'It was my naivety that resulted in my injury. If I had reacted a second later, I would have lost an arm. They are enemies, as simple as that. That is all I should think about.'

Even though he knew about their response towards him, he had still hesitated upon hearing the Spiked Lizard's cries. It was his mental block, something that had formed thanks to his two decades worth of stay in a city in his previous life, away from making contact with any wildlife of threat. Now, this pain served as a lesson to him.

If he wasn't vicious, he would be eaten up without any hesitation. 'Even though I knew about their possible behavioural pattern, I still failed to implement it. Tempering through practical experience triumphs endless theoretical simulations; I guess it is time I wake up to the reality of the harshness of this world.'

The pain would serve as a reminder of sorts, preventing him from becoming soft-hearted. Making a check of his bearings, Jyorta continued to head deeper, trying to see if any Spiked Lizard would come within the range of his domain.

The fingers on his left trembled as they held the hilt of his sword. They acted as support; his right hand acted as the dominant performer. Part of his attention was focused on the ground, watching out for any other Ring Worm that desired his flesh.

Soon, a Spiked Lizard came into range. Its body trembled; it frothed at the mouth, having fainted. Only then did Jyorta notice the change in his aura. Before, it was just his presence being exerted. Now, mixed amid it was faint killing intent that turned his aura deadlier.