Blood Assimilation

"No, you're wrong. I would never harm my own family. My wife and daughter are all I have left in this world. I could never bear to hurt them. You're lying to me!" The man's demeanor had shifted into a state of frenzy, his spirit broken as he adamantly denied the possibility of such a grim fate and reality.

Observing the man's unstable state, Liena persisted, her tone unwavering.

"No, you would. You would transform into an unstoppable monster, driven by the urge to kill and consume your victims. Despite your love for them, you wouldn't be able to shield your family from the horrors of the Demon Seed within you. That is the harsh reality and inevitable fate of someone implanted with a Demon Seed. So, what will you do now?"

The moonlight bathed Liena's figure, casting shadows of her holding her dagger. The light of the moon reflected the sharp edge of her dagger's blade with its glow as Liena approached the man pinned down by Brawler Randy.

"Now that you know your tragic fate, what choice will you make?" Liena whispered, her soft voice carrying a haunting weight to the man's ears, hinting at the decision she expected from him.

After contemplating with a somber expression, the distraught man's demeanor shifted, his firm resolve apparent on his face. He spoke with newfound confidence.

"I understand the decision you're urging me to make. I agree, but before I proceed to give to you an answer, I need a promise from you. If you can assure me of this, then I'll end my life on my own terms."

Liena's expression softened as she inquired: "What do you need?"

"Can you promise to keep my family out of this? They're innocent and unaware of my pact with the demons. Also, can you inform my wife and daughter that I perished at the hands of a magical beast rather than being branded a traitor to humanity and killed as a result?" As he made his pleas, tears welled up in his reddish eyes, though they refused to fall from the confines of his determined eyes.

On top of the man, Brawler Randy, witnessing the scene, felt a pang of empathy and a strange emotion filling his heart. To prevent further tragedy involving many innocent lives, they were compelled to end the life of a man driven solely by the desire to protect his loved ones and their livelihood.

After a moment of silence, Liena responded to the man's plea of wanting to protect his family's life in exchange for his death. Watching the man, her emotions were stirred by memories from her past, but before she shook her head.

Liena observed the man pleading for his family's safety in exchange for his death. Her emotions were stirred by memories from her past, but she shook her head before proceeding to reply to the honorable man.

"I promise. I can even assist them in relocating if it ensures their safety. Besides, someone in your village might have witnessed your actions and could accuse them of complicity."

"Thank you. But relocating isn't necessary." The man expressed gratitude while declining her offer.

Acknowledging his decision, Liena nodded. Despite her orders to eliminate any accomplice of a Demon Seed Bearer, she couldn't justify punishing those who hadn't been implanted with Demon Seed or willingly participated in the decision leading to the man's actions. She found it too harsh to condemn family members of her targets.

"You idiot! Do you want to die? If that thing had possessed your body, I wouldn't hesitate to cut you down too. Those affected by fully and partially germinated Demon Seeds can only be killed, the same verdict as the original host." She reprimanded before walking away in annoyance, having had enough of him.

Brawler Randy was about to defend himself, stating that he would have been okay, but he thought better of it, afraid it would further agitate Liena, aggravating her mood. Instead, he took a deep breath and stomped on the creature that had been wriggling on the ground despite being cut into pieces by Liena's multiple slashes.

"It's not even dead even after being cut into pieces? What kind of creature is this? How repulsive."

Expressing his disgust, he continued to stomp on the various pieces of the sprouted Demon Seed.

The more Brawler Randy thought about the source of the creature, the angrier and more disgusted he became of it. Somehow, the death of the Demon Seed Bearer, Zandi, affected him more deeply than he anticipated, making him question if Liena had truly done the right thing.

He may be unruly, but he discovered he also had a sense of justice, understanding the principle that criminals had to receive punishment and innocent civilians needed to be saved. This dilemma brought about by Zandi's helpless circumstances made him realize that sometimes even doing a good deed may not leave a good aftertaste.

Watching the disconcerting tentacle-like parts of the sprouted Demon Seed still wriggling on the ground as if alive, Brawler Randy worriedly asked Liena: "Are you sure this thing is dead?"

"It's dead." Liena replied without turning to look at him.

"But it's still wriggling like it's still alive." Brawler Randy persisted, apparently unconvinced. He suddenly noticed a piece of black, fleshy tentacle nearing his foot as he spoke to Liena.

"Damn! A tentacle just tried to get close to me. Liena, are you sure this thing is dead? Why don't you cut it into even more pieces, just in case?" He stomped on the appalling tentacle, but it continued to wriggle like a worm, prompting him to back away in trepidation, realizing the resilience of the tentacle.

Annoyed by his plethora of doubtful queries, Liena reluctantly turned around. She explained: "It's already dead because I destroyed its core with my dagger when I attacked it. Those tentacles writhing on the ground are caused by its residual muscle signals. They'll jerk around for a while before stopping completely."

Liena turned back and approached the hut that the rampage of the transformed Zandi had demolished. Though she could tell that Brawler Randy was still unconvinced by her explanation, she didn't care. She had said what needed to be said.

If he didn't believe her words, it wasn't her fault. He didn't appear to pester her anymore with doubtful questions, indicating he had somewhat accepted her explanation.

While Brawler Randy kept an eye on the wriggling black tentacles, remnants of the dispatched sprouted Demon Seed, Liena stood before the demolished hut. She gathered the pieces of the hut in one place and set them on fire, watching as they burned.

Brawler Randy walked toward her, announcing when he was a meter away.

"The tentacles have stopped moving. I think that thing has finally died."