Chapter 450: Parasite Part 2

The darkness surged again.

His spiritual body buckled, and he felt another piece of himself disappear.

Then, through the suffocating pressure, he sensed something.

A familiar presence.

Distant, but unmistakable.

Wolfy.

Ethan’s thoughts caught on the name like a drowning man catching a rope.

His beast was out there, residing within its own domain in his Beast Space, which was hosted within him. They were connected at a spiritual level, and that connection had only grown stronger with every fight and every moment they had shared.

The connection hadn’t disappeared.

Even now, with his soul being consumed, it remained.

‘Wolfy!’

Ethan didn’t know whether his call travelled through sound, thought, or something deeper. He only knew that he reached for the connection with everything he had left.

For an instant, nothing happened.

The tentacles continued dragging him towards the void. The darkness pressed against his face, and Ethan felt his thoughts beginning to slip away again.

Then the creature shuddered.

A pulse of familiar presence brushed against his consciousness.

It was faint, but unmistakable.

Ethan’s eyes widened.

He wasn’t alone.

The thought steadied him, giving him something to hold on to as the parasite tightened its grip. More tentacles surged from the void, wrapping around his arms and dragging him forward.

He resisted, clinging desperately to the connection.

‘Come on…’

The spiritual space trembled.

A massive shape emerged from the darkness behind him.

Black fur, blood-red eyes, and an overwhelming presence that Ethan would recognise anywhere.

Wolfy had come.

The giant Fenrir lowered its head, its crimson gaze fixing on the parasite consuming its master. Its enormous body radiated a familiar, powerful presence that made Ethan’s chest tighten with relief.

But something about it was different here.

Wolfy wasn’t merely standing beside him as a summoned beast. Its existence seemed to resonate with his own, the connection between them becoming almost tangible within this spiritual realm.

The parasite’s tentacles recoiled slightly.

Ethan stared at the creature, his mind racing as he felt the pressure on his soul shift.

‘That’s it…’

He didn’t need Wolfy’s claws, its fangs, or its skills.

He needed the bond.

The parasite had been consuming his soul as though he were alone, an isolated existence it could swallow whole. But Ethan wasn’t alone. His soul was connected to something beyond himself.

And that connection was still intact.

‘Wolfy, stay with me!’

The fenrir moved closer.

Its presence pressed against Ethan’s, steadying the parts of him that had begun to unravel. The fading edges of his memories grew clearer, and the suffocating sensation of disappearing eased just enough for him to think.

For the first time since the attack began, the parasite’s advance faltered.

Then the spiritual space shook again.

A second presence descended from above, sharp and proud as a blade.

Talon.

The emerald griffin spread its enormous wings, its piercing eyes settling on the black mass. Its presence joined Wolfy’s, reinforcing the fragile connection holding Ethan together.

The parasite recoiled.

Ethan felt the difference immediately.

The pressure on his soul eased, if only slightly.

He remembered his mother’s voice. He remembered Elara lying beside him that morning. He remembered the battles he’d fought and the promises he’d made to the beasts who had stood beside him through every hardship.

They weren’t just weapons he could summon.

They were a part of him.

And that connection was something this thing couldn’t simply swallow.

Another flash of colour cut through the darkness.

Spark appeared, its fiery little form darting towards Ethan before settling close to him. Its presence was chaotic and bright, so familiar that Ethan felt a sudden ache in his chest.

Then came Storm, surrounded by the sensation of distant thunder and crackling energy.

Four beasts.

Four connections.

The parasite’s tentacles writhed around them, but the beasts didn’t rush forward to attack. They didn’t unleash fire, lightning, wind, or claws against the creature.

Instead, they stayed close to Ethan.

Their spiritual presences pressed against his, anchoring him to himself, and for the first time, Ethan began to understand what he needed to do.

But the parasite wasn’t finished.

The darkness gathered around them, compressing into a churning mass. Its tentacles lashed out in every direction, desperate to drag Ethan back into the void. It still had more power and began attacking even the spiritual presences of his beasts.

Ethan gritted his teeth.

‘I’m not fucking dying here!’

He had come too far to be erased by something hiding inside his own soul.

And while the four connections might not be enough, there was still one more presence he needed.

One more bond…

–

The darkness surged towards them, aiming to consume them all.

As it did, Ethan reached deeper into the connection between himself and his newest beast.

‘Tide!’

For a moment, there was no response.

The parasite’s tentacles swept across the spiritual space, forcing Ethan to brace himself as the black mass pressed against the fragile presence surrounding him. Wolfy stood firm at his side. Talon held its position above him, while Spark and Storm remained close, their spiritual presences reinforcing his own.

But the pressure was growing.

Ethan could feel the parasite testing the connections, searching for a weakness it could exploit. Every time it pushed against them, the darkness tried to seep through the gaps and resume consuming him.

‘Come on, little guy. I need you.’

Then he felt it.

A familiar, gentle presence stirred at the edge of his consciousness.

Water.

A small blue shape emerged from the depths of the spiritual space, its serpentine body twisting through the air as though swimming through an invisible ocean.

Tide.

The little water serpent hurried towards Ethan, its presence bright and unmistakable. As soon as it reached him, it slithered up his body and around his neck. The connection between them settled into place.

Five beasts.

Five distinct presences.

Five bonds connecting Ethan to something beyond himself.

And suddenly, the parasite’s advance faltered.

Ethan felt the difference immediately.

The pressure bearing down on him hadn’t vanished, but his sense of self had become more stable. His memories no longer seemed to drift away whenever the darkness touched him.

Tide, even as a mere E Rank beast that had only recently joined him, made a difference. Its contribution wasn’t smaller because it was weaker. Its spiritual presence was its own, unique and a part of Ethan just like the other more established beasts.

‘So that’s how it works…’

Understanding dawned on him.

He’d spent so long thinking of his beasts in terms of strength, abilities, and evolution. He measured their progress by their ranks, their skills, and the enemies they could defeat.

But this wasn’t that kind of battle.

The parasite was consuming his soul, attempting to erase his identity and take his place. It was treating him as a single, isolated existence.

Except Ethan wasn’t alone.

His soul had become intertwined with the souls of his beasts. Their presence was woven into his spiritual existence, not as weapons or borrowed powers, but as extensions of his being.

The parasite could tear at his soul.

But it would have to get past his beasts first…