Chapter 1409 Collective Frenzy
The violent mental shock that erupted when the eyeball burst swept through the surroundings, affecting a large area. Even I, standing on the periphery, felt chaotic whispers in my mind, accompanied by an impulse of brutality.
If I felt this way, then those in the forefront were naturally Older Brother Jayad and the Otherworldly beings around him. The moment the eyeball exploded, their eyes turned red, and they let out roars from their throats.
They clutched their heads, their faces contorted in pain, wildly slashing their weapons at their surroundings while uttering bizarre cries. The roars of the Hybrids sounded like lions, the Nagas hissed like snakes, and the Corrupted Kin shrieked like insects. The only commonality was that the sounds were filled with the agony of struggle.
Their sanity plummeted, and murderous intent and madness seized their brains. Even Older Brother Jayad’s eyes revealed a ferocious red glow.
However, they were not the ones most deeply affected. It was the Mutants, already corrupted by Blood Oil, whose underdeveloped Mutant Eyes were forced open, tears of blackish-red blood streaming down. They coughed up Blood Oil incessantly.
And it wasn’t just them. Older Brother Jayad was the primary target of the Alien Parasite’s eyeball attack. While the protection of Holy Light indeed blocked the impure magic, it couldn’t stop invisible entities like the violent consciousness and whispers.
Older Brother Jayad fell to his knees, clutching his head. I watched in horror as feathers and tentacles began to sprout from his body – he was about to mutate uncontrollably!
“Older Brother Jayad!” I rushed to save him, but the surrounding Otherworldly beings began attacking me relentlessly. They even seemed to have forgotten how to use their weapons, lunging at me with their bodies to bite and tear.
Previously, their combat had been somewhat restrained. After all, they were summoned for mandatory combat and bore no inherent hatred or vested interests. A bit of slacking and a minor injury would allow them to return to their original world, which was ideal.
But now, the Otherworldly beings had completely lost their judgment, only knowing to slaughter any living thing they saw, including the Ratmen I had summoned. They even turned on each other, grappling and biting fiercely.
Facing this rabble, I raised the Shield of the Twin Eagles before me. One round of Life Drain could eliminate a large number of these degenerates and replenish the Magic Power I had heavily consumed.
However, the Magic Power I absorbed also carried that same violent mental pollution. Their Blood Energy had also been contaminated by the residual memories within the eyeball.
Gritting my teeth, I injected myself with a Sedative in the thigh, and my consciousness quickly returned to a state of calm. Yet, as I tried to move towards Older Brother Jayad again, a massive black shadow lunged at me.
“Careful, Parul (Sister)!” Sherris pulled me away just in time. A colossal alien creature smashed into the spot where I had just been standing, its sharp syringe-like appendage piercing a hole in the ground.
Looking up, I saw a creature that should only exist in nightmares: a disjoined lower body, an upper body of a fly, a roach-like head, and the mouthparts of a mosquito. It was a monster formed by the amalgamation of different insect features.
“No way? Via?” I had seen this creature before. When I couldn’t yet control my Spirit Vision, I had caught a fleeting glimpse of Via’s true form, and this was her Vampire form.
It was too terrifying. I had never actively looked at her again after that, otherwise, seeing Via normally would ruin my appetite.
Unexpectedly, she had also been affected by the eyeball. Now, her Compound Eyes were filled with a bloody red hue, hunting indiscriminately. A frenzied Hybrid charged at her, and she grabbed it, crushing it beneath her feet. Her mouthparts plunged into the Hybrid’s body, instantly draining him dry.
I watched Via continuously attack the surrounding Hybrids, draining their blood. It seemed she wasn’t targeting me but rather had lost too much Blood Energy from earlier injuries. Now, having lost her sanity, she was relying solely on her vampire instincts to attack anyone with blood.
Normally, this wouldn’t be a problem. Via was only caught in the mental storm, and it would be fine to let her rampage. It was just temporary madness; she would likely regain her sanity once she had her fill.
The problem was that I was in a hurry to administer the Sedative to Older Brother Jayad. The chaotic battle in between prevented me from acting, while Older Brother Jayad remained half-kneeling, his body constantly mutating, fighting the mental pollution with all his might.
Older Brother Jayad possessed a firm will, had researched mental control to some extent, and had been favored by several deities. His mind was as solid as a rock, not easily broken.
But the mental pollution from the concentrated burst of these Five Eyes was unusual. Even Vampires like Via, who showed no signs of madness normally, went berserk. None of the numerous Otherworldly beings were spared. Older Brother Jayad managing to hold on this long was already impressive.
He remained half-kneeling, panting, with uncontrolled Magic Power forming a yellow-and-black storm around him, automatically protecting his Master. Even as frenzied Otherworldly beings continuously charged at him, they were all blown away by the storm.
Those Alien Parasites continued to add insult to injury, constantly casting spells at Older Brother Jayad. Although these flesh-and-blood spells were also blocked by the storm, it was uncertain how long it could hold.
The situation was dire. I made a swift decision and recalled a spell I had obtained after killing a Shrieking Shaman outside the city. It could focus malice and hostility onto a specific direction or individual.
This spell was basically ineffective against intelligent beings with normal minds. For example, if someone tried to make me feel hostility towards Older Brother Jayad, I would notice it immediately.
While spells that subtly implant emotions or bring out buried thoughts to change a person’s heart do exist, this would require a much higher level of sophistication and precision. Primitive casters like the Shrieking Shaman wouldn’t be capable of such a feat.
The Shrieking Shaman specialized in Primal spells, as the name suggested, following a wild, untamed path – not seeking refinement, but simple, brute force.
This malice redirection could divert the malice of a large group of creatures towards a designated target. It was especially effective against unintelligent, irrational monsters and beasts consumed by anger and murderous intent.
Of course, it was also highly effective against the Otherworldly beings who had gone berserk and recognized no one. I cast the spell on all of them and then pointed my Magic Wand towards the Alien Parasites who were keeping their distance and attacking cowardly.
Instantly, those blood-red eyes turned towards the Alien Parasites, lunging at them in their stunned gazes. This scene reminded me of mass selecting units and attacking in an RTS game from my previous life.
Via also joined the charge with the Otherworldly beings. There was no choice; for now, I’d let her run wild. She possessed immortality, and blending in with the crowd of Otherworldly beings should keep her relatively safe.
The battlefield of the Otherworldly beings was cleared. The Alien Parasites were caught completely off guard by the sudden siege, unable to disengage for the moment.
Shield raised, I charged through the storm and reached Older Brother Jayad’s side, only to hear him struggle, “Parul… stay away from me…”
