Earth's Greatest Magus

Chapter 3067: Parasite Spawns

The Karat family’s flagship held position, its gold-plated hull catching what little light bled through the surrounding void. Every cannon along its flanks was already tracking the incoming swarm.

As the flagship of the armada’s vanguard, the vessel was a Destroyer-class warship, built for high-speed combat and frontline engagements rather than prolonged fleet support. Its most prominent weapons were the enormous Voidpiercer Cannons, mounted along both sides of the hull. Each cannon gathered compressed energy before releasing it as a concentrated beam capable of tearing through reinforced starship armor.

Rosin Karat’s voice came through the command channel.

"Fire."

A heartbeat later, the dark expanse erupted like a field of fireworks.

Dozens of Voidpiercer beams tore across the void, striking the leading wave head-on. The creatures caught in the barrage were shredded apart, their black bodies rupturing into twisted chunks of flesh that slowly drifted through space.

But hundreds more kept coming.

The gaps created by the first volley closed almost immediately.

Up close, the creatures were far worse than the sensor readings had suggested.

The scanners identified them as Parasite Spawns, lesser organisms of the scourge. Their bodies resembled enormous, nightmarish insects, their pale-black flesh stretched over elongated, skeletal frames. Several pairs of thin limbs protruded from their bodies, each ending in hooked claws, while dozens of long, whip-like tendrils writhed from their backs and undersides.

The smaller spawns were roughly the size of a human.

They moved through the vacuum like insects crawling through invisible currents, their limbs constantly twitching and their tendrils curling and uncurling as though searching for something to latch onto. They had no visible eyes, yet every creature moved with uncanny precision, turning simultaneously whenever the warship’s weapons fired.

The larger specimens were another matter entirely.

Some were as large as houses, their bloated bodies covered in layers of armored flesh. Their countless tendrils stretched dozens of meters behind them, twisting together like a mass of living cables. When they accelerated, their bodies folded and unfolded in a disturbingly fluid motion, almost like grotesque creatures swimming through water.

The smaller spawn possessed strength comparable to a Desolate Beast—dangerous, but manageable. The larger ones, however, were several times more powerful. Their raw physical output approached that of an Ancient Desolate Beast, placing them nearly the strength of a grand magus.

Yet strength alone wasn’t the most frightening part.

The creatures were perfectly adapted to the void.

They didn’t need air. They didn’t slow down in the vacuum. Their bodies twisted and maneuvered freely through space, while their countless tendrils could wrap around a ship’s hull and exert enough force to tear through reinforced steel plating.

Any Magus foolish enough to engage them outside the protection of a warship would be fighting on their terms entirely.

More Parasite Spawns drifted into firing range with every passing second.

The Destroyer’s secondary batteries opened fire, smaller cannons hammering the approaching swarm while the massive Voidpiercer Cannons continued charging between volleys. Explosions rippled through the darkness as beams and energy shells tore apart wave after wave of the creatures.

But the swarm simply kept coming.

And behind that first wave, something much larger was closing in.

The true threat.

Parasite X itself.

The flagship couldn’t retreat.

The anchor formation still needed hours to finish stabilizing the portal.

There was only one option.

Hold the line and destroy anything that came within reach.

"Keep firing."

Karat’s order to the gunnery crew came without hesitation. The Voidpiercer Cannons continued firing along the flagship’s flanks, each concentrated beam ripping through the approaching swarm before she turned to address the rest of her assembled command.

Beyond Veyarel, were two strongest generals along for this operation: East General Khalid, a lean, brown-skinned spear master whose reputation had been forged over decades of battle, and West General Boyd, a massive man built like a small mountain given legs. Together with Emery, Soltz, Feyanorr, Kayelin, and Veyarel, the group numbered eight.

All eight moved toward the airlock at once.

The outer doors opened, and they launched into open space.

Their bodies immediately adapted to the vacuum, spiritual energy forming invisible barriers around their skin as they moved clear of the ship. None of them showed the slightest discomfort. At their level, surviving in the void was little more difficult than breathing.

For several seconds, they simply hovered there, watching the Destroyer’s cannons continue to light up the darkness.

Then Parasite X finally entered their range.

The enormous creature surged through the void, its grotesque body blotting out the distant stars. Thousands of Parasite Spawns followed behind it, a living tide of twisting limbs and writhing tendrils spreading across the darkness.

The Supreme gave the assignments without wasting a second.

"Boyd, take the right flank. Kayelin, Feyanorr, support Boyd."

"Khalid, take the left. Veyarel, Soltz, stay with Khalid."

The six Grand Magus cultivators immediately split up and moved into position.

Boyd charged toward the right, with Kayelin and Feyanorr following close behind. On the opposite side, Khalid raised his spear and advanced, Veyarel and Soltz moving alongside him as they prepared to meet the approaching swarm.

Together, the six formed two defensive lines, preventing the swarm from surrounding the flagship.

The remaining Grand Magus cultivators—eight in total, each a solid One Cosmos expert—spread out around the warship in a loose defensive ring. They remained in reserve, guarding the rear and watching for anything that slipped past the main lines rather than advancing into the swarm.

Karat’s attention finally settled on Emery.

"You’ve dealt with this thing before. You’re with me."

The "thing" she meant was, of course, Parasite X itself.

Emery rolled his shoulders once, loosening his muscles as his gaze settled on the approaching monstrosity.

"Well then." A faint smile touched his lips. "Let’s not be rude to our welcoming party."

The eight fighters surged forward.

For every Parasite Spawn they destroyed, three more drifted forward to take its place. Severed bodies and broken tendrils floated through the void, only to disappear beneath another wave of writhing creatures.