Boom! Boom! Boom!
Ian relentlessly shattered the rocks and crystal plates beneath his feet, closing the distance between himself and the source of the blue mist in a straight line.
The Brood's internal structure was extraordinarily complex. Its passages twisted and coiled, and psionic barriers stood in the way. The crystal-iron composite forming the walls was incomparably sturdy, capable of withstanding artillery bombardment.
But none of that meant anything to Ian, who possessed the Sand Armor Apprentice inheritance and Precognitive Vision.
Simply through his perception of earth-aspect Origin Matter, he could tell which crystal-iron plates were weaker. Precognitive Vision allowed every strike of his sword to land upon the point most vulnerable to destruction.
In less than five seconds, he had carved open a passage leading to the source of the blue mist.
With a clatter, a figure descended to the ground amid crystal shards and pulverized stone.
Sword in one hand, Ian swept his gaze over the surroundings.
This was already the center of the Brood—its innermost core.
It was a chamber wrapped in crystal and metal. Hazy blue-green mist coiled among clusters of translucent crystals, lingering in the depths of the Brood's center.
He could hear the squelching sounds of flesh writhing, the faint rustle of tiny things moving, and the long, windlike sound of something breathing.
At first, even Ian could not see everything before him clearly. He could only hear those sounds and smell a strange scent that he could not tell was fishy rot or sandalwood incense.
But more alarming still, the hallucinations intensified the moment he entered this place.
"Psionic power has tripled? It's even stronger than I expected..."
One hand pressed to his forehead, Ian frowned deeply amid wave after wave of almost tangible psionic fluctuations. Then he heard something. Saw something.
And