"The tide of battle was about to shift. That is what the bastard should be thinking right now," Parasite said with a sinister grin, his lips curling into a crescent smile. His eyes remained tightly shut, his confidence unwavering.
"Ego, divert a large portion of your swarm to attack his army," Parasite commanded sharply.
Ego's frustration boiled over. "What the hell are you saying? If I do that, they'll reach the core in no time! Even with his powers sealed, he still has other powers that can destroy me!"
Parasite's grin only widened. "There's no need to worry anymore, Ego. Just do as I say…"
Ego clenched his jaw, feeling a surge of anger and humiliation. He hated how he had to act like a mere henchman for this wretched Parasite. It was infuriating to obey something that had been desperately trying to consume his body just moments before these intruders arrived.
'How far I've fallen…' he thought bitterly. Once, he was the master of everything, an ancient being. His power had been unmatched, his plans for the Great Expansion unstoppable. There had been no being in the universe he had to bow to.
But all of that crumbled when this cursed parasite latched onto him.
But for now, Ego decided to obey without further questions asked as ironically, this paradise was the only thing keeping him alive right now because he was the only one who knew how to kill the enemy that could summon that terrifying, all-consuming, dark, purplish fog.
And Ego's thoughts were absolutely right.
This Parasite was able to damage Erik's soul when he was getting transmigrated, and even now managed to block his system.
And even though it had been weakened to this state, it was capable of killing Erik for good.
The only thing that was holding him back was his low energy, most of which he had already spent on blocking Erik's system. That was the reason, he had instructed Ego to keep Erik away from core till now.
But that was not needed anymore.
He has managed to gather enough energy to launch a powerful blast that should kill him for good, even his [Resurrection] won't save him.
This attack, however, had a limited range, meaning Parasite needed Erik to come closer for it to work.
The challenge lay in luring Erik in without arousing suspicion. A seasoned system user would be cautioned of a trap if Ego's army, which had been fiercely keeping him at bay, suddenly allowed him to advance toward the core.
That's why Parasite's grin widened when the Chitauri army arrived.
"Perfect," he thought, watching the battlefield shift. "Now, he'll think his army can keep Ego's forces busy while he moves in to destroy the core." Parasite smiled, "And he'll come to me, in my range. Like a moth to a flame..."
Thousands of chariots, carrying heavily armed soldiers, clashed with Ego's swarming forces. The leviathans roared, their massive forms cutting through the giant mud soldiers like battering rams.
The once-overwhelming swarm of Ego's now had an equal match.
Erik, Cindy, and Wanda felt the change almost immediately.
Erik, who had been relentlessly holding back waves of enemies, finally got a moment to catch his breath.
He glanced at Cindy, still perched on his back, and smirked. "It's up to you now."
Cindy nodded, "Yes."
From what he had pieced together over the past twenty minutes, there was little doubt in his mind that his strategy would succeed.
He mentally reviewed the pieces of the puzzle.
'The arrogant and demanding Ego hasn't said a word of sneering towards us. All he's been doing till now is creating his army and swarming us with numbers, which would grow more fierce when we try to get near the core. As if instinct but I know him better, he's just following orders.'
'I mean, of course, he's protecting the core... But that's not all. He's also trying to keep us from leaving the cave. This isn't for survival, he wants to finish us here. It's not Ego who wants it, it's that 'thing.'
Erik's sharp eyes darted toward the massive core, hundreds of Ego's soldiers stood atop it, their movements calculated as they scanned their surroundings like watchful sentinels.
'But for some reason, that 'thing' needs to rely on Ego... Mantis said it's like a symbiote... a parasite. He has the power to block my system, he must have more powers, designed specifically for killing 'me'... yet he hasn't done anything more.'
Erik levitated off the ground, the faint glow of telekinetic energy surrounding him. The battlefield below was a chaotic blur of destruction and resistance, but he focused on the objective ahead: the core.
He turned his head slightly toward Wanda, who was already preparing another surge of chaos magic. "Wanda, follow us and keep us safe," Erik instructed, his tone calm but firm.
Wanda smirked, her crimson eyes flashing. "Don't worry, I've got your back."
Erik repeated the facts he knew once more, 'They're wary of me. They're keeping me at bay, but not trying to force me out of the cave. That can only mean one thing — they're biding their time, likely for a devastating attack.'
His grip on Cindy's thighs tightened slightly, ensuring she was securely latched onto his back. He couldn't afford any mistakes now.
'Mantis said this thing has been fighting Ego for control, but look at them now—a truce. One blocks my system, while the other tries to overwhelm us with sheer numbers. It's obvious their focus is me. I'm the threat. This Parasite knows about my system and has specifically targeted me. Yet… they're biding for time. Maybe, their fighting weakened 'that thing', or for whatever reason he's weakened... biding time, perhaps gathering energy.... maybe that's why he hasn't attacked me more... but...'
Erik's eyes narrowed. 'From the beginning, Ego's forces have been disproportionately targeting me. The swarms chasing me are far larger and more aggressive than those sent after Wanda or Cindy. This means one thing: they don't see Cindy or Wanda as threats.'
A sly grin crossed Erik's face as he continued his thought and turned his face to look at Cindy, 'They don't know about Cindy's fate-sealing webs.'
Cindy tightened her grip on Erik's shoulders, her strong legs wrapped around his waist keeping her securely in place. "Let's finish this," she murmured.
Erik ascended higher, maneuvering skillfully through the swarms of enemies still clashing below.
As the trio moved closer to the core, more soldiers emerged, their forms rising from the ground with terrifying speed.
Mounted on massive earthen beasts, they charged at Erik and Cindy with unrelenting ferocity.
Before they could come close, Wanda unleashed a powerful blast of chaos magic.
The crimson surge tore through the soldiers and their mounts, reducing them to rubble before they even had a chance to strike.
"Keep going!" Wanda shouted, already preparing another blast for the next wave.
Far above, Parasite's grin stretched wider, a sinister satisfaction brimming in his expression. He could feel Erik's approach, his presence growing stronger with every passing second.
"Come… come here. To your doom," Parasite whispered in his mind, his shut eyes masking the malice within.
But as Erik approached the core, Parasite sensed something off.
His focus shifted to the peculiar girl latched onto the system user's back. Suddenly that girl's eyes started to glow in a brilliant white light. Her hair began to rise, floating as if suspended in water.
"What is she—?" Parasite's thoughts were interrupted as Cindy raised her arms. From her fingertips, shimmering threads of webbing emerged, flowing through the air with an eerie grace.
"What are you doing, Parasite? They're already here! Do something!" Ego's panicked voice echoed in the chamber.
Parasite remained still, "I... I can't do anything," he said quietly. No desperation, no fear, only resignation.
"They're still far outside of my range… Besides, it's no use fighting anymore. Those webs… they're fate-sealing threads. My powers can do nothing against that, they're outside my sealing capabilities. Maybe we shouldn't have let them allowed them to get this close after all."
Parasite smiled as he sat down.
"There's no use struggling. Even after coming so far, I have failed you, again... Master, I'm sorry I couldn't get revenge for you. Rimuru... I apologize to you as well, I couldn't defeat that bastard who stole all your powers and killed you. I'm sorry that I couldn't give the justice you all deserved..." Parasite looked up in defeat.
On the other hand, Ego's fury turned to desperation, but it was too late. The webs danced through the air, weaving an intricate cocoon around the massive core. As they wrapped tighter, a ripple spread outward.
The swarm of Ego's army that had been attacking the Chitauri army and approaching the trio began to crumble into dust. Pillars that had been emerging nonstop collapsed into nothingness, leaving the battlefield eerily quiet.
Parasite frowned, his brows furrowing as he noticed a damp sensation on his forehead. Something slid down his skin.
'Huh? Why is my forehead wet? I didn't know this body could sweat…'
Parasite's thoughts wandered briefly before clarity struck. 'Ah, I see. This body Ego crafted is human in biology. And this… this is what they call cold sweat, isn't it?'
For the first time in his existence, Parasite felt helpless. His 'physical body' was soon wrapped in the same fate-sealing webs, rendering him completely immobile.
A familiar system notification flickered before Erik's eyes:
[The external interference is no more. All skills are now available for use.]
Erik's lips curved into a triumphant grin.
"Finally, I knew it'd work!" he said, raising his hand as a vortex of dark purple energy swirled into existence.
Deploying [Beelzebuth], Erik directed the vortex toward the cocooned core.
The fate-sealing webs and the core they encased were devoured into the dark, all-consuming void, leaving nothing behind but silence.
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