Louis's chest suddenly tightened.
The next instant, purple mist burrowed into his Sea of Consciousness and transformed into countless insect shadows.
Shells cracked with sharp snaps, feelers slapped wetly, and swarms of insects stared coldly at him.
They chewed and tore, as though intent on swallowing everything into their pitch-black bellies.
Every hiss sounded like endless hunger roaring.
This was not mere killing intent, but a desire to devour everything.
Even his will, memories, and heartbeat were being dragged toward the Swarm's bloody maws.
...Again!? Why does every damned thing keep crawling into my head!?
Louis cursed inwardly, his head threatening to split.
Just as those sounds were about to tear him apart, a platinum pulse suddenly lit up his mind.
The Primordial Heart had awakened.
Platinum starlight surged out like a river of stars, instantly spanning the entire void.
Beside it was that wisp of crimson mist from before.
Rageflower's petals unfurled in the flames, its blood-red vines winding not toward him, but around the Primordial Heart like guardians.
The Swarm lunged, opening mouthparts bristling with fangs.
White light and crimson flames rose together, burning straight through them in an instant.
Thousands upon thousands of insects turned to ash amid shrieks, their skeletal forms crumbling in the flames.
Shattering sounds echoed throughout his Sea of Consciousness, but the suffocating sense of being torn apart was gone.
Watching the struggle, Louis suddenly realized he had not been pushed to his limits as he had last time.
The crimson mist and the Primordial Heart gave the purple mist almost no chance to catch its breath.
Within a few short breaths, the Swarm was utterly engulfed, reduced to a wisp of embers that the platinum current absorbed completely.
His Sea of Consciousness fell quiet again.
*Compared with that rage last time, this