Blood Assimilation

Witnessing the tenacious young man, who seemed to have figured out the situation at the last moment, finally succumb to the poison and fall asleep, the man sighed, praising his endurance before his face turned devilish, his appearance also undergoing tremendous change.

His skin color turned beet red, with his muscles bulging in and out of existence as his height and stature increased, gaining a very robust body incomparable to his previous lean figure.

Aside from his entire body undergoing total transformation, his pupils turned crimson red with the white section of his eyes turning black, making his current appearance look very demonic. There was a single, sharp horn protruding from his forehead, confirming his identity as a demon or someone influenced by a magical ability of the demons.

After undergoing the transition from an ordinary human to the hideous appearance of a demonic being, the man— now the Demon Seed Bearer— eyed the two unconscious individuals with a gluttonous expression. Without hesitation, he seized the young lady's arm and head, lifting her above the ground like an emotionless doll.

The Demon Seed Bearer opened his mouth, his jaws extending to his ears, as he brought Liena's neck close to his face, appearing as though he was about to bite into it.

Unexpectedly, at this moment, just as it seemed her neck would be bitten, Liena's eyes abruptly snapped open, revealing extreme coldness within. She swiftly withdrew her dagger from its sheath behind her and decisively severed the arms gripping her body. The Demon Seed Bearer roared in pain. Resembling a gory fountain of blood, crimson blood gushed out from the wounds inflicted by Liena's dagger.

Seizing the opportunity, Liena, having escaped the demonic being's grip, turned to see Brawler Randy still sound asleep, undisturbed by the commotion. She briefly entertained leaving him, knowing his fate was not her responsibility, as he had willingly followed her on the mission despite knowing the risks surrounding her mission.

Yet, moments later, she clicked her tongue in frustration, opting to save him. While the Demon Seed Bearer thrashed about, she hoisted Brawler Randy's hefty body onto her shoulders and hastily fled the hut, which was being torn apart by the rampaging, wounded demonic being after having its arms severed by her.

Outside, Liena surveyed the surroundings, seeking a safe location in the darkness of the night, a task made challenging by the minimal light in the forest. Despite the challenges, she resolved to find a place to deposit the unconscious Brawler Randy before returning to confront her mission target.

Locating a suitable spot at a safe distance from the crumbling hut, she turned her attention to the person she was carrying. She glanced at Brawler Randy's face, which hung upside down. To her surprise, he was awake, displaying no signs of confusion. Instead, he observed her silently.

His lack of confusion suggested he had roused on his own and was silently observing her, seemingly relishing the upside-down view.

"You..." Liena nearly exploded in anger but restrained herself. However, out of spite, she hurled Brawler Randy onto the barren ground with considerable force, causing him to fall unceremoniously. He groaned, raising his head to glare indignantly at Liena, who returned his gaze with a furious look.

"Why did you do that?" He demanded, brushing the dust from his clothes as he rose from the ground.

"Are you seriously asking me that, or are you playing dumb?" Liena's expression conveyed a desire to pummel him for his seemingly innocent inquiry, as if he had been wrongfully treated by her.

Brawler Randy felt perplexed by Liena's words. He vividly recalled their brief skirmish a few days prior, where Liena had been bested by him. Thus, he couldn't comprehend why she assumed he was incapable of confronting a monster she believed she could handle herself.

Although her remark left him momentarily bewildered, he decided to heed her warning, as he had indeed promised to not get involved when she apprehended her target. He merely thought there might be an unexpected variable if she fought alone.

While this was his surface-level thought process, deep down, it was merely an excuse to delude and convince himself to participate in the battle. Despite his impulse to join the fray against the tough-looking demonic being, he restrained himself and merely observed Liena's figure as she surged toward the approaching monstrosity, which was in the process of regenerating its lost limbs.

As a spectator, Brawler Randy's eyes glowed with a grayish-purple hue, enhancing his vision, granting him extremely clear perception even in the nighttime darkness. He focused intently on the petite figure of Liena charging to meet the Demon Seed Bearer head-on, hoping that she struggles against the monstrosity, allowing him to tap in.

However, the expected scene of struggle he expected was nowhere to be seen. Only one-sided suppression of the Demon Seed Bearer.

From his perspective, Liena— after deftly dodging the monster's consecutive kicks shot toward her as it continued to regenerate its lost arms— seemed to transform into a vicious killer. With absolute precision, she began carving into the monstrous body of the Demon Seed Bearer.

She began with shallow cuts, gradually accumulating wounds across the monster's body, starting from the legs, moving to the stomach, chest, and finally the neck.

Though her cuts appeared shallow, they became increasingly lethal as they accumulated on the monster's body.

The demonic transformation granted the man a perverse level of defense and regeneration, making the dagger wounds inflicted by Liena only manage to penetrate a few inches deep. Despite the monster's enhanced defense and regeneration, Liena's accumulated dagger wounds managed to leave deep injuries.

She continuously struck the same spots with relentless accuracy, executing dance-like moves, twirling and flipping in the air, as she dodged the clumsy and amateurish attacks from the inexperienced monster. She relied solely on her movement techniques and pure fighting skills, not even tapping into her shadow skills, to suppress the Demon Seed Bearer.

The monster's clumsiness allowed Liena to easily overwhelm it, making Brawler Randy realize he was truly unnecessary in the ongoing battle. He couldn't envision himself stepping in to replace Liena anytime soon.

As the fight progressed, the demonic being found itself increasingly cornered and losing ground. However, as it found itself cornered, it became unnerved by the situation, beginning to retreat from the aggressive onslaught of Liena. Reverting to his human form, the Demon Seed Bearer's monstrous visage disappeared, replaced by the figure of the man from before.

As soon as he regained his human form, with his severed limbs miraculously restored, he began to beg Liena for mercy, frantically creating distance between them. He pleaded for his life, offering to surrender himself if Liena would agree to cease her assault.

Of course, Liena turned a deaf ear to his pleas, immediately giving chase to the seemingly helpless man, intent on severing the connection between him and the world.