MMO: Chapter 16/20

Chapter 16: No Need to Exist
"Everyone, look over there! Could that suspicious guy be the one?" A male student shouted as he noticed Mr. A walking in the opposite corridor. Amid the chaos of the emergency evacuation, he stood out for moving slowly, which made him look extremely out of place.

"He's trying to find Shinichi—no, he's trying to find me. Because of the crowd, he can't pinpoint my exact location."

"What if he finds us?" Shinichi asked Migi.

Migi replied without hesitation, "The enemy has murderous intent. If he finds you, he will attack without question."

"Then what should we do?"

"Hide in the crowd. When the time comes, he'll strike at random. And at that moment, I'll pierce his heart. It's simple, but the success rate will be much higher." Migi calmly laid out the most viable plan.

However, Shinichi couldn't accept it.

He simply couldn't bring himself to sacrifice the lives of others just to win.

"So in your eyes, my classmates are just human shields. I almost forgot what you really are." Clenching his right fist in frustration, Shinichi resolutely pushed through the crowd and ran toward a more secluded area.

At the same time, Silvain noticed Shinichi's strange behavior. Watching his figure disappear into the distance, Silvain smiled and muttered, "Trying to use yourself as bait to draw away the parasite? What a kind guy. Fine, I'll lend a hand, if only because of your potential."

Silvain quietly followed him.

On the way, Shinichi happened to run into Murano Satomi. But the situation was urgent. He didn't stop and continued running upstairs. Satomi grabbed his arm, thinking he'd forgotten something.

"Did you forget something? I'll go with you to get it."

Unexpectedly, Shinichi yanked his arm away and shouted, "Don't come near me! Stay away from me!"

Satomi froze.

Realizing his outburst, Shinichi forced a smile and said, "Sorry. Just get out of here. Hurry."

As she watched him run off, Satomi's eyes filled with confusion and worry. At that moment, Silvain appeared behind her and said with a smile, "Shinichi didn't mean it. He's just caught up in something right now. You should get going. I'll follow him."

It was hard to believe, but Shinichi had run all the way to the top floor without stopping, only halting when he was completely out of breath.

Seeing his actions, Migi asked, puzzled, "What's wrong, Shinichi? Are you dissatisfied with my plan?"

"Of course. How many people would die because of it?"

"But to preserve your own life, isn't sacrificing others the natural choice? That's what animals do. Oh right, I almost forgot—humans are the species that commits suicide. So tell me, Shinichi, are you doing that right now?"

Shinichi had no words for Migi's logic. All he could say was, "Your Japanese is great. Just… don't say stuff like that again."

With that, he entered a nearby classroom and began moving desks, attempting to barricade the front and back corridors to trap the enemy.

"Need help?"

A familiar voice called out. Shinichi turned around and saw Silvain.

"Why are you here?"

Silvain started moving desks as he replied, "I saw some idiot trying to take on everything himself, so I figured I'd come watch the show."

"Arigato, Silvain-kun." Shinichi thanked him sincerely.

Migi emerged from Shinichi's hand and tilted his head. "He clearly wants to help Shinichi, but says he's just watching. Humans are such strange creatures."

"But this increases our odds. Next, it's a three-on-one." Migi cut the leg off a chair and handed it to Shinichi. "We'll fight together."

"He's three meters away."

"Three meters?" Shinichi couldn't see Mr. A anywhere in the corridor.

"Below."

Both Shinichi and Silvain looked down simultaneously.

Suddenly, two tentacles shot up from below, smashing through the glass window and hooking onto the edge. Using them, Mr. A launched himself up and landed in front of them. The sudden move instantly shattered all of Shinichi's preparations.

"Trying to block me? All you've done is block yourselves." The sides of Mr. A's head split open. Tentacles twisted wildly as his mouth, filled with sharp teeth, opened.

"Also, I'm curious what you taste like." Mr. A looked at Silvain.

Silvain smirked. "Are you sure I'm not a parasite?"

"Special companions don't need to exist."

The tips of Mr. A's tentacles turned into sharp blades and slashed at Silvain. With a spray of blood, the pain in his chest made Silvain instinctively look down. His once intact uniform was now shredded, blood flowing freely from the wound.

"So fast!" Both Silvain and Shinichi exclaimed at once.

Silvain hadn't even seen the attack before he was hit. If it had been a real strike instead of a test, he'd already be minced meat.

"Looks like you're weaker than I thought. You fooled Tamiya Ryoko, but that was just a disguise. How pathetic," Mr. A said coldly.

"Silvain-kun, are you okay?" Shinichi looked at the blood-soaked Silvain, clearly worried.

"I'll live. Doesn't look like I'm dying yet. But this guy's seriously strong." Even pale from blood loss, Silvain kept a faint smile. Getting angry wouldn't solve anything, and in the face of death, he stayed calm. He used his words to try and expose a weakness.

"You know, a parasite injured me before. Want to know what happened?"

He raised his hand and wiped the blood. The wound healed right before their eyes.

"I chopped off his head, then doused him in gasoline. Boom. Burned to ash in the flames."

He flicked his wrist, letting the black cloth wrapped around his blade fall away.

"Die!"

Mr. A immediately lunged again. Though he only had two tentacles, their speed was five times faster than a regular parasite—maybe even more.

"I'll block him. You guys attack."

Only Migi could barely keep up with Mr. A's speed. The rest couldn't.

Clang! Silvain raised his sword and blocked the slash directly in front of his chest.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 17: Broken Arm

The immense force sent Silvain staggering back several steps, but fortunately, Migi blocked the follow-up attack.

Their tentacles clashed in a blur of afterimages, sharp clangs ringing out continuously. Catching a moment to breathe, Silvain looked at the iron sword in his hand. Unfortunately, after the previous impact, the newly acquired weapon was already bent out of shape.

Seeing that it couldn't eliminate Silvain immediately, Mr. A turned his attention toward Shinichi. As long as it killed Shinichi, the injured Silvain would be easy to finish off.

"This iron sword is garbage. Looks like I still have to rely on myself." As he spoke, Silvain's right arm transformed into a blade woven from flesh and blood. Its silver-white edge shimmered with a cold metallic light under the sun.

His stamina couldn't match that of the parasite. This battle had to end quickly.

Silvain remained patient, knowing that opportunities would only appear for a split second. "Now!" He swung his transformed arm, aiming straight for Mr. A's chest.

Unexpectedly, Mr. A sprouted another tentacle, slashing diagonally as Silvain closed in.

Silvain was now faced with two choices—abandon the perfect strike, or die with his opponent.

Silvain chose neither.

Without hesitation, he leaned to the side, blocked the incoming tentacle with his other arm, and simultaneously redirected his blade, slashing across Mr. A's left arm.

In an instant, two streams of blood spurted out—one from Mr. A's severed arm and the other from Silvain's own.

Silvain immediately rolled to the side, grabbed his severed arm, and pressed it against his wound while enduring the searing pain.

"Silvain-kun!" Tears welled up in Shinichi's eyes as he mustered all his courage and thrust the hollow steel chair leg into Mr. A's abdomen. Parasite blood gushed out along the pipe.

The massive blood loss left Mr. A extremely weak.

If it stayed here any longer, death was inevitable.

"Fool, I can heal. Can you?" Silvain staggered to his feet, his face pale, his forehead dripping with large beads of sweat. Still, when he saw Mr. A in worse condition, he couldn't help but laugh.

Mr. A didn't respond. It just dragged its bleeding body in the direction where Tamiya Ryoko was.

"Shinichi, finish it now!"

Migi didn't want to risk anything, so he urged Shinichi to act.

Shinichi looked at the fading enemy but couldn't bring himself to strike. Mr. A had reverted to a human appearance. "No, I can't do it. If I kill it like this, it'll be murder."

Seeing Shinichi hesitate, Silvain had no choice. He picked up the bent iron sword from the ground and ran after Mr. A.

"Fine, then I'll do it."

Silvain gripped the sword tightly and swung it down. Mr. A, unable to resist in its weakened state, took the blow from behind. With a poof, its head rolled across the corridor, rapidly withering and decaying.

"Killing you really took everything I had." Confirming the kill, Silvain collapsed against the wall, his body sliding down as if his spine had been pulled out.

"Shinichi, he's losing too much blood. He's going to die. Get him to a hospital now."

Migi's reminder came just in time.

"Silvain-kun, hang on. I'm taking you to the hospital." Shinichi quickly carried Silvain on his back and rushed downstairs. Along the way, Silvain's vision blurred, and his head spun. Just before blacking out, he vaguely heard voices shouting.

"Get this student into the police car, quick! Use it to take him to the hospital!"

"Isn't that the Silvain? What happened? Why did he collapse?"

…

After an unknown amount of time, Silvain slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a clean white ceiling.

"Killing a parasite landed me in a hospital. Ugh… why does my head still hurt?" Silvain was clearly uncomfortable in the sterile hospital environment. Glancing at the IV drip beside his bed, he guessed it was glucose.

He used both arms to sit up and opened his panel.

[Transformation Talent is fusing. Current Progress: 69%]

[Player's Stay Duration Countdown: 142 Days]

"So I wasted two days unconscious." Silvain muttered, looking at the countdown.

"The nurse in charge of bed 36, please note that the patient in bed 36 has woken up. Please go to Room 36 immediately."

A system prompt echoed through the ward.

Soon, a nurse in uniform entered the room, walked to Silvain's side, and began checking his vitals. "Are you feeling any discomfort?"

She asked softly.

Silvain shook his head on the bed. "I feel fine. When can I leave?"

"Not yet. Your blood sugar is still a bit low. We'll need to observe you for another day. If everything stabilizes, then you can be discharged." The nurse took out a fresh bottle of glucose, skillfully hooked it to the IV stand, and began the drip.

"Another day of observation? I don't have the money to pay for this."

The yen granted by the panel wasn't enough to cover a long hospital stay.

Unexpectedly, the nurse smiled and replied with a hint of admiration, "You're a media sensation now. You took down the gangsters who attacked the school single-handedly. A lot of people in the community are donating to support you."

Silvain was baffled by her words, unsure what had happened.

After borrowing a phone from the nurse, he finally understood the situation.

It turned out that when Shinichi was questioned by the school about what happened, he gave a general version of the events. He left out key details, such as the true identity of Mr. A, and only mentioned that Silvain had been found beside the man's body.

As a result, news that he had taken down the school intruders alone spread like wildfire across the internet.

Silvain became famous once again—this time across all of Tokyo.

Soon after, news of his awakening reached both the media and the school. In just the time it took to finish a meal, Silvain's hospital room was flooded with reporters from various outlets.

"There are currently rumors that the gangsters who attacked the school weren't human, but some unknown creatures. What's your take on that? Was the one you fought really not human?" a reporter from an entertainment news agency asked Silvain.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 18: Take Care of Your Health

The reporter's question left Silvain speechless for a moment.

Fortunately, several uniformed police officers arrived in time. The leading officer stepped forward, holding up a document. "The details of this incident are classified. You're not authorized to know. If you want to ask questions, please choose another topic."

With that, the reporters had no choice but to shift their focus.

"I heard your swordsmanship is exceptional. Someone even saw your sword at the scene of the suspect's death. Did you defeat the attacker with your swordsmanship?" a reporter asked.

"That's an exaggeration. At most, I'm only slightly skilled with a sword."

Seeing that Silvain didn't deny defeating the assailant with swordsmanship, the media immediately perked up. It was a headline-worthy scoop. They began to probe further, bombarding him with questions, which quickly annoyed Silvain.

"Sorry, I need to rest," Silvain said, directly signaling for them to leave.

"Are you sure? We'll pay you a manuscript fee."

Still unwilling to give up, the reporters handed him business cards as they exited. One whispered, "Mr. Silvain, if you have any exclusive news, please consider us. Money is not an issue."

Once the reporters had left, a police officer immediately locked the door behind them.

The lead officer sat down in front of Silvain, opened a file bag, and laid out a stack of photos. "The person you killed was named Masashi Makino. He used to be a renovation worker from Osaka. His family reported losing contact with him after he came to Tokyo. These are photos from the scene."

Silvain examined the images. They showed the remnants of the battle with Mr. A.

"It's clear this level of destruction is beyond what humans can do. These are autopsy photos of the corpse. His abnormal cranial structure shows he was no longer human. His body had been taken over by a creature we refer to as a Parasite. We're here to ask how much you know about them."

It was clear from the officer's words that Parasites had come under police scrutiny, and they had gathered considerable information.

"I'm sorry. I don't know much. Killing him was just dumb luck," Silvain replied, shaking his head.

"Actually, while you were unconscious, we reviewed your X-rays. You're human. The wounds found on the body match your sword. We're just curious—can a human really fight something like that?"

Silvain smiled. "They're tough, yes. But parasites are still parasites. If the host body takes enough damage, they die instantly."

"All right, that's all we needed. There's 1.3 million yen on this card. It's a combination of official reward and public donations. Rest well. And please keep our conversation confidential." With that, the police exited the room.

As they left the hospital, a young officer asked, "Chief Fujita, there were signs of a third person at the scene. I think he knows a lot more about the Parasites. Why didn't we press him?"

"If he doesn't want to talk, we can't force him. Plus, the media's focused on him right now. If we mishandle this, it'll trigger a media storm," Fujita replied as he climbed into the police car. "Right now, what matters most is finding a way to quickly identify Parasites. I heard HQ is sending a biology PhD to help. Let's hope they can solve it."

…

Not long after the police left, the principal of West High arrived with several teachers and students to visit Silvain.

Silvain, already used to this kind of situation, greeted them with a smile and accepted the gifts. "You're too kind, really."

"The school might close for a while. Once classes resume, I'll have Teacher Tamiya contact you," the principal said before quickly departing, clearly swamped with school-related issues.

"Silvain-kun, I'm so glad you're okay." After everyone left, only Shinichi Izumi remained.

"Other than low blood sugar, everything's fine."

Silvain unwrapped the gift and grabbed some snacks, stuffing them into his mouth. They were definitely high-end. The flavor was excellent, and the sugar rush made him feel fully alive again.

"Want some?"

Silvain pushed the pastry box toward Shinichi.

Shinichi watched him eat with wide eyes, subconsciously swallowing, but quickly declined. He handed Silvain a bottle of water instead and twisted the cap open.

"If everything goes well, I should be discharged tomorrow."

"By the way, why did you leave me to take all the credit? You know how annoying those reporters are," Silvain said as he drank the water, squinting and leaning back comfortably.

Shinichi looked a bit awkward, but Migi popped out and said, "Shinichi and I aren't suited for media appearances right now. He's not as good at pretending as you, and to be honest, he's indistinguishable from an ordinary human."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Silvain peeled an orange, tossed a segment into his mouth, and chewed slowly. "What about Ryoko Tamiya? Why didn't she come?"

"She probably had something come up. But she asked me to pass you a message. She said she'll give you the remaining information at the old meeting place after you're discharged. Think of it as compensation for what happened," Shinichi explained.

They chatted for a while longer.

Migi, however, was filled with questions. It couldn't understand how Silvain had such incredible regeneration. Could it be that the Parasite in his body had fully assimilated him? Otherwise, reattaching a severed arm should have been impossible.

"Maybe it's a gift. Who knows?" Silvain shrugged. Rather than fabricate a flawed lie, it was better to just leave it at that.

"Then I'll get going. Silvain-kun, take care of your health."

(To be continued.)

Chapter 19: Mount Takao

The sky had just cleared when Silvain completed the discharge procedures and was officially released from the hospital.

The first thing he did afterward was call Ryoko Tamiya, then rush to the café to retrieve the remaining data she had promised. With this information, he estimated that his integration progress could reach 90%.

"Are you trying to integrate with a Parasite? What are the experimental results?" Silvain flipped through the data, catching a few clues.

"Don't pry into things you shouldn't. I won't hesitate to kill you myself," Ryoko Tamiya said coldly, locking eyes with him.

"Alright, I think I'll see it with my own eyes when the time comes."

Just as Silvain was about to leave with the data, Ryoko Tamiya added, "School will resume normal classes in a month."

"Got it."

During that month, Silvain's figure appeared in famous gourmet restaurants across Tokyo.

Maybe the incident caused by Mr. A had too much negative impact, but in any case, the number of brutal dismemberment cases had dropped significantly.

However, based on Silvain's analysis, it wasn't that the Parasites had stopped killing. Rather, they had shifted to remote, less populated areas to carry out their attacks.

"Shinichi, over here." At a maid café, Silvain waved to Shinichi, who was seated by the window.

"Why'd you ask me to meet at a place like this?"

Shinichi looked around curiously. It was his first time in a maid café.

"I heard the coffee here is pretty good, so I came specifically to try it. Don't worry, I won't tell Murano Satomi." Silvain then asked the nearby maids to step aside. Outsiders didn't need to hear their conversation.

"Have you had any conflict with Ryoko Tamiya at school recently?" Silvain asked after sipping his coffee.

Shinichi frowned. "Just yesterday, I tried to attack her, but she walked away. She also said some strange things."

"She believes that all life on Earth follows some kind of command. For example, flies are born knowing how to flap their wings, spiders are born knowing how to spin webs. When she took over a human brain, she also received a command—to devour humanity completely!"

Leaning back in his chair, Shinichi looked intently at Silvain. "Did you receive that command too?"

Silvain picked up his coffee and calmly shook his head. "I'm completely unaware of any such command. What she's describing sounds more like instinct. In other words, killing and eating humans is an innate instinct of Parasites."

"Instinct?" Shinichi fell into deep thought.

"So, it's like lions hunting antelope. And the Parasites' prey is humanity."

"That's how it seems for now," Silvain nodded in agreement.

But Shinichi still couldn't understand. If that was truly the case, Parasites should've appeared at the dawn of human existence, not suddenly emerging now to invade society.

"Why did they appear so suddenly?"

"I don't know either. Maybe we'll understand eventually."

Silvain didn't want to keep talking about it. The subject was meaningless. The emergence of the Parasites seemed more like a manifestation of Earth's will. Their existence wouldn't stop humans from destroying the planet. That was just wishful thinking.

"By the way, are your parents still home?"

The question caught Shinichi off guard. "Why? Do you need something from them?"

Silvain vaguely recalled that in the original story, Shinichi's parents were attacked by Parasites while traveling. His mother was even killed and parasitized.

"I just wanted to visit your house."

"They left for a trip yesterday. They won't be back anytime soon."

"So fast!" Silvain blurted out.

"What?" Shinichi stared at him, sensing something strange.

Silvain felt a headache coming on. He was one step late. Maybe Shinichi's mother had already been killed. "You don't understand the situation with Parasites. Why didn't you stop them? Now is a terrible time to travel. You know Parasites like to attack people in remote areas."

Silvain's words reignited Shinichi's anxiety.

He hadn't dissuaded his parents because he didn't have a good excuse. He was afraid that telling them about Migi would prompt Migi to kill them. After all, Migi was still a creature without emotion—just like Ryoko Tamiya and Mr. A.

"There haven't been any Parasite attacks recently. Everything should be fine," Shinichi muttered, trying to convince himself.

"Where did they go?" Silvain asked, wondering if the situation could still be salvaged.

"They didn't say when they left."

Shinichi shook his head.

Silvain put down his coffee and sneered, "So you're gambling on whether your parents will be attacked? If they die, can you live with that? Or do you just not care?"

Enraged by Silvain's words, Shinichi suddenly stood up, accidentally knocking over the coffee on the table. Hot coffee splashed onto his clothes. The sudden outburst drew everyone's attention.

But as the unease in his chest grew stronger, Shinichi looked down at his right hand.

"You're right. Traveling now was a mistake. Not until the Parasites are dealt with." Being drenched in coffee seemed to snap Shinichi back to his senses. "Some things, no matter how scary, have to be faced eventually."

He opened his phone, scrolled to his mother's contact, and tapped the call button.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Finally, after more than ten seconds, the call connected.

Hearing his mother's familiar voice, Shinichi trembled with emotion.

"Ask them where they are right now," Silvain reminded him.

"Tell me your location, quick!" Shinichi urged.

"There's no time to explain. I'll tell you everything when you get back."

Soon, Shinichi got their location. "They're at Mount Takao. It's only about an hour from here."

Hanging up, Shinichi couldn't wait any longer and sprang into action.

"Shinichi, no human should know about me," Migi said, emerging from Shinichi's palm.

"Shut up! Say another word and I'll cut you off right now."

Shinichi grabbed the small knife used for cutting food and held it against his right arm.

Migi could feel it—Shinichi was serious this time.

"Are parents really that important? Humans are such strange creatures."

"Of course you wouldn't understand. You Parasites don't have emotions!" Shinichi shouted. Soaked in coffee, he didn't even bother changing. He walked out onto the street and flagged down a taxi.

"To Mount Takao. Please, hurry."

(To be continued.)

Chapter 20: The Pierced Heart

In the taxi, Shinichi Izumi sent a message every five minutes, only feeling slightly relieved each time his mother replied.

"Driver, please hurry. I'm in a rush."

"Sorry, there are a lot of traffic lights on this road. This is already as fast as I can go." The driver continued listening to the radio, calmly driving.

Shinichi grew frustrated with the driver's lack of urgency. Just as he was about to argue, Silvain reached over and held his shoulder.

"If you can get us there in under an hour, I'll give you 50,000 yen. For every ten minutes you shave off that time, I'll add another 10,000."

The middle-aged driver with glasses narrowed his eyes, reached forward to switch off the radio, and looked back at Silvain. "You serious?"

Silvain opened his wallet and flashed a thick wad of cash. "I prefer to pay in cash."

"I like you. Back in the day, they called me the god of car of Akina Mountain!" The driver adjusted his glasses, straightened up, and slammed on the gas. A violent jolt slammed Silvain and Shinichi back into their seats.

In that instant, the blue-and-white taxi became a streak of blue lightning, weaving madly through traffic.

Outside the window, the scenery blurred and receded rapidly.

"To unleash such power instantly... Is this driver also a special kind of human?" Migi, now a small eyeball, clung to Shinichi's ear and asked with concern.

"No, he's just doing it for the money." Shinichi, watching the taxi rocket forward, responded irritably.

There was no denying the driver had skills. Barreling down the crowded streets of Tokyo with fearless momentum, he fully lived up to the title of the god of car of Akina Mountain.

"Emergency broadcast: a taxi is reported to be severely speeding. Please intercept immediately. Suspect vehicle plate number is..."

"The police are on us," Shinichi said, glancing at three police motorcycles flashing red and blue behind them.

"What's the panic? We're about to hit the mountain road. They'll never catch me there." The driver now resembled a professional racer, even lighting a cigarette mid-drift. "Sorry, hope you don't mind me smoking."

"It's fine. Go ahead."

Seeing more and more motorcycles giving chase, Silvain couldn't help sweating for the driver. He wondered if the money would even cover the fines.

The driver seemed to notice. He grinned, pulled a few wires from under the dash, and said, "When the time comes, I'll claim brake failure. The fine won't be much."

Silvain was speechless. Honestly, the guy deserved a medal.

A dozen minutes later…

The driver slowly eased off the gas, performed a perfect drift, and calmly brought the taxi to a stop. He glanced at his watch. "Total time: twenty-three minutes."

"Here's your fare." Silvain, who was rarely carsick, staggered out of the vehicle with his stomach churning.

Shinichi was in even worse shape, barely able to walk.

"You alright?" Silvain asked.

Shinichi stood still for a few minutes, catching his breath. "Let's go."

Meanwhile, the driver was already surrounded by four police motorcycles. He stood beside the officers, bowing and nodding repeatedly, no trace of the God of Akina Mountain left. "Sorry, sorry! The car malfunctioned. I really didn't mean to!"

"He's so committed. He should be crowned the god of taxis," Silvain muttered as he caught his breath.

Suddenly, Migi on Shinichi's right hand twitched. "Shinichi, I sense similar brainwaves nearby—about 400 meters out. They're filled with murderous intent and are preparing to strike."

"What? There's really a Parasite here?"

Without even thanking Silvain, Shinichi bolted in the direction Migi indicated, his heart pounding with urgency.

"Shinichi, he's noticed you. His speed is increasing," Migi warned.

Silvain followed, but without the enhancements of a Parasite, he couldn't match Shinichi's pace.

At that moment, Shinichi's parents stood by the sea-facing cliff, admiring the blood-red sunset. They hadn't yet noticed the figure rapidly closing in.

"This sunset is beautiful," said Nobuko Izumi.

Her husband nodded. "Yeah. Totally worth the taxi ride out here."

"I wonder what Shinichi's up to, suddenly asking for our location."

"Maybe he's planning to surprise us," Nobuko said with a happy smile.

"Seems like even if you're thinking of Shinichi, he's thinking of you too," her husband replied warmly.

Suddenly, a sinister wind swept across the cliff.

Shinichi's voice rang out in a panic. "Mom! Get down!"

Nobuko turned her head at the sound, just in time to see a tentacle slicing through the air toward her. Her husband reacted quickly, pulling her out of the way just in time.

The blade meant for her neck struck her left arm instead.

Puchi! Blood spurted as her slender arm was severed.

Enraged that it missed its mark, the Parasite sent another tentacle lunging for her throat.

At that moment, both Nobuko and her husband froze.

But Shinichi charged forward with everything he had. He dove in front of his parents, shielding them with his body.

The sharp blade pierced his chest.

Blood gushed, but Shinichi managed a faint smile. Looking at his mother, he whispered softly, "I'm glad... I made it in time."

"Shinichi!" Silvain arrived a moment too late and witnessed the horrifying scene.

The Parasite glanced at Silvain's distorted arm and immediately abandoned the idea of fighting. The body it was controlling couldn't withstand another battle.

Without hesitation, it leaped off the cliff.

Silvain rushed to the edge, but the Parasite's figure had already vanished.

"Decisive... It has intelligence on par with a human."

Turning back, he saw Shinichi slumped over Nobuko Izumi, his vital signs fading fast.

"Call an ambulance now!" Ignoring her own injuries, Nobuko fumbled for her phone with trembling hands. Her tears kept falling onto the screen, causing her to misdial repeatedly.

Her voice cracked with anguish. "Shinichi, hold on... please, just hold on a little longer."

(To be continued.)