9:30 AM, the couple, Mr. Warna and Ms. Yalika returned to their ho, giving the floorplan to the builders that swiftly proceeded with their work. They stood on their balcony, gazing at the flurry of activity outside, vigour returning to their eyes.
"Will we see our children again?" Yalika could no longer control herself, asking with a muffled voice.
"Yes, I believe so," Warna nodded, "But, from what he hinted, our interaction would be brief at most. Still, compared to this, I am satisfied with seeing them at least once more."
"That's not enough," Yalika gritted her teeth, crying, "I want to see them grow up, want to live with them, enjoy our ti together, worry about their well-being..."
"I understand," Warna hugged her, his body trembled as he shed tears, "But, there is nothing we can do for the ti being but to live. Our children are dead. The fact that we can see them once again is a miracle, nothing else."
"Then why are we waiting here?" Her voice turned hoarse, "If we jump into it, we would reunite with our kids. Isn't that hundreds of tis better than our present situation?"
"Hewouldn't have shown us that if our plan had been to commit suicide."
"You" Yalika looked at him in anger, her eyes widening in shock, "You're a coward. Just admit that you're not willing to die."
"Am I?" Warna looked at Yalika, his gaze turning serious, "Four decades, wait until we can see them again. At that ti, our family will reunite as one. Before that"
His gaze emitted killing intent, "To the Frenzy Beasts that killed our children, we'll make them suffer a fate a hundred, no a thousand tis worse. Only after I've avenged them will I have the guts to face them again. Until then, I will never rest and constantly kill."
Warna gazed outside, looking at the people shuttling about on the road below, "A failed father is a thousand tis worse than a coward. At least, let avenge them first."
Yalika closed her eyes, tears continued to stream out of them as she sorted her thoughts, her fra suffused with concealed killing intent, "Alright, we'll do that."
She joined her hands in prayer, "Yakra, Yaka, and Yila, please watch us from the other side. Mommy and daddy will return once we have avenged you."
Dense psychic energy pulsed through the streets, proceeding towards the end of Marble City, grabbing the attention of every adult, including children that had completed the Induction Ceremony.
Information was transmitted through the psychic energy, forming a face in their minds. It was the face of Rhachis Ancestor Light, his expression suffused with sadness.
"My citizens," His hoarse voice resounded, his tone full of tiredness, but his deanour emitting regal aura, full of pristine dignity.
His eyes closed, pausing for a second before opening, "Yesterday, we faced a disaster. Parasite had attacked us. But, that wasn't the only reason."
The moods of everyone further worsened at his words; Rhachis Ancestor Parasite was a walking talking disaster, the very earth trembled at its presence. But based on his words, it seed Rhachis Ancestor Parasite wasn't the only reason.
The couple trembled at his words, watching Rhachis Ancestor Light continue, "With great pain, I say this."
His expression morphed, the eyebrows trembling minutely as he uttered every word with difficulty, "The Skep Primogenitor is alive."
It was like a boulder was smashed on the hearts of everyone, their expression morphing from fear into despair, soon suffused by confusion and rage. The older the person, the greater his/her rage was.
The Skep Primogenitor was a legendary being, a figure they only learned about but had never encountered. But, just its na alone ignited flas of hatred in the hearts of everyone that possessed a Wisdom Parasite. The feeling wasn't conceived by their emotional self, but by the Wisdom Parasites in them.
His eyes turned bloodshot as Rhachis Ancestor Light said, "Not only is it alive, but has also grown stronger. Its thods are mysterious, adding onto its unexpected survival from the battle two centuries ago. Its existence elevates the threat of the Skeps to a higher level. From today onwards, we would treat the Skeps on the sa level as the Frenzy Beasts."
His expression was solemn, "The Swarm the Skeps birth to is superior in quantity, tens of tis the population of the Frenzy Beasts. The strength of each beast in the Swarm is on Tier 3 level, with so growing to be equal to Tier 4. Most of the Skeps and their guardians are equivalent to Tier 5. And, during the Skep Primogenitor's appearance, we noticed many Skeps that had entered the realm of Tier 6."
His voice turned a pitch lower, "Until now, humanity had survived through our sheer quality, despite our inferior population. We had enough advantages to guarantee our strength reigned at the top. But now, the Skeps can just send the Swarm at us until we exhaust ourselves. This is not to ntion our enemies, the Frenzy Beasts."
A sort of chill pervaded the air as every citizen was silent, their expressions pale while thinking of the bleak future. As if it wasn't enough, Rhachis Ancestor Light dropped another bomb, "The intervals of the Cleansent Manoeuvre we conduct has been shortening. In four decades, we would be close to hitting the Saturation Point in the ntal Realm. This was the final information Rhachis Ancestor Space traded her life to obtain."
"Parasite path will be coming to an end soon, aning no new Warrior or Esper can be born after that. But, that is when Rhachis Ancestor Parasite will achieve its peak power. The Skep Primogenitor won't stay by idly either. Moreover, the longer it delays, the greater its advantage becos, as the Skeps are independent of the Parasite path." The Chill intensified.
"Every race is rushing to accumulate strength until then, trying to expand as much as possible until then. After all, there won't be any developnt after that. Now, humanity has no choice but to do the sa, if we wish to survive the upcoming era of chaos."
Rhachis Ancestor Light's face brimd with fighting spirit, "Ti is ripe now. With the Swarm on our doorsteps, we have an abundance of resources to sustain our needs. The production of Frenzy Fruits will be doubled by next year and will be increased to ten tis the current size within three years. Traits, Artifacts, Relics, Knowledge, Guidance, Monetary Support; Central Command will shoulder the costs to nurture every talented individual to their peak."
"And, to nurture talented individuals, we need to birth them in the first place. Humanity always held the top spot in quality. Now, we also need to upgrade our quantity. For the next four decades, to every child that is born, Central Command will shoulder all their expenses until adulthood, and that also includes the Aristocratic Families."
"And, if they show potential to beco an Elite, they would receive bonuses and guidance from the experts in various families. And, if they show potential to beco a Powerhouse, they will be personally guided by Rhachis Ancestor Strongest."
"The only good news we have in these troubled tis is that Rhachis Ancestor Strongest is close to completing his Tier 6 Skill. The day he does so will the strongest Ancestor on earth be born. He will be the spear that kills Rhachis Ancestor Parasite, and we will be the shaft that supports him."
When he talked about Rhachis Ancestor Strongest, a rare smile erged on his face, "Marble City needs more Elites and Powerhouses to survive in the future. So, I ask you, fathers and mothers of our city, to birth heroes that pay way to our future."
"To aid this endeavour, Central Command has launched nurous support sches. For the next couple of years, thanks to the Swarm, our external missions would be close to a minimum. So, the ti is ripe for our heroes to be born. And, for every child that is born, Central Command will reward the respective family. The rewards even include Relics."
"We Two, Ours Six; that is the goal."
"Six?" Yalika shouted, "Even if a year of gap is given between childbirth, that still ans 12 years of constant cycles of conceiving and births, considering noChild of Wisdom is born."
"That shows to prove the reality of our situation. We have been pushed back to that extent." Warna sighed, feeling pensive. "The recent disasters have caused our population to dwindle."
Rhachis Ancestor Light continued, his speech persuasive, "But, I am not forcing you to experience such pain over and over. I too have been a husband, a father, a grandfather, and so on. I know the pain of losing our children, the pain of birthing a Child of Wisdom. But now, I stand before you, having lost all my descendants. Ihave been orphaned, despite my strength. Such is the cruelty of war. We can only resist the tides of fate."
"Yesterday, many parents lost their children, I am angry at our incompetence and saddened by our loss. To us, the survival of humanity matters the most. And to you, the survival of your respective families. Combined, we would resist, persevere and erge victorious." His eyes turned watery as Rhachis Ancestor Light continued to speak, displaying the volu of emotions he had bottled in him.
"Ancestor" Yalika trembled, crying as she grit her teeth, clenching her hand into a fist. She wasn't alone; Warna, the people who were repairing their hos, the people walking on the roads, the people in their respective hos or workplace, everyone teared up.
Their emotions were affected by the emotions of their spiritual pillar. Rhachis Ancestor Light spoke after a second of silence, "Central Command will not force you, but can only reward you for your contribution. Let us join hands and fight together, for the survival of Marble City, for the survival of the human race."
"For Marble City!"
"For Humanity!"
The shout resounded from every household, reverberating around the entire city. The ignorant children were startled by the shout and had to be pacified by their respective parents.
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