Page 364 of Light Leech

I spared a glance. Multiple squares covered the screen, showing certain elites in bed with others. Some showed the celebrities dealing with company reps, while others highlighted some of them ranting on a neurospace call. I didn’t connect to any of their audio outputs, feeling satisfied that they were all the incriminating shots we needed to sow discord among the audience members over betrayal, infidelity, and various forms of breaching contracts. Even over the clamor of our race I could hear shouting and cursing among the elites.

Naoma: You see it?”

I nodded more than enough for her to notice as I dodged an opponent’s light spear that stuck the rower behind me. I crouched to send a single message before another spear came my way.

Petya: We need the barrier down. Do what you can.

Zeg. My shoulder burned as a spear landed in it. I let out one of those mixed laugh-cries.

The light on my briefs glowed vibrantly.

All of this effort. Everything I had done surmounted to this moment of misfortune that would end it all. No joyful end for me. No forever with Naoma. No redemption for the good side of Medislavia.

“Enough with the sorrow, bakuh. You embarrass me.”

Zhu? Am I–

“Dying? Do you feel like you are?”

The spear stung. I wanted to cry out as I ripped it from my shoulder. It was no longer light-infused, but merely what looked like a long needle.

Not really, but–

“You do not play by their rules. This is not because you are some destined warrior exempt from defeat, but do not forget that I can also manipulate the light within you.”

The light in my briefs faded with a subtle black aura.

“Do not become prideful. I cannot save you from a hit to a vital organ, but simple healing is within your capabilities, is it not?”

Yes. I felt my Bite reserve drain as the hole in my shoulder repaired itself. Did you absorb that light?

I jumped to the side to shove one of our oblivious rowers out of the way. The spear aimed at him struck his seat at the end of its arc.

The crowd was growing more intense. I spared the screen a second’s glance to see that the videos had changed. I checked back a few moments later to see that more incriminating footage had cycled.

I took a bundle of spears as our enemy boat passed us.

Zhu?

“What do you think? Do you feel the spear’s light within you?”

It feels like adrenaline building up within me.

“Because I am pulling it into your core. This light is rich. Pure.”

Neon Essence?

“Indeed.”

Why would they waste it on this?

I threw a spear towards the other boat, hitting one of their throwers as he aimed for us. I hated to take a life, but I was more important than him. I had to be selfish. To allow mercy would allow for failure and the continuation of this mess.

“Because the wasteful light is incapable of draining humans into those light spheres. When their existence drains into those spheres, the true light grows exponentially. They sacrifice a small amount in these spears to redirect the light within the human into the orb. Do you understand what is happening?”

I didn’t know that you could turn humans into light.

“It goes beyond that. Light is what everything in this universe is composed of, but that is not my point. Do you see what this game’s orchestrator is doing?”