Blood Assimilation

Despite transforming into his human form, the man's speed had not diminished in the slightest. Instead, he appeared even faster, deftly evading some of Liena's deadly attacks and only sustaining injuries to non-vital parts of his body.

Witnessing Liena aggressively and ruthlessly slashing at the seemingly helpless man, who could only dodge and defend himself, prompted Brawler Randy to intervene to prevent the inhuman act before him. Breaching the distance between them, he positioned himself in front of Liena, seemingly to stop her callous actions.

"Stop! What are you doing?! He has already surrendered. Why are you still attacking him? Are you heartless? Just restrain him and bring him in." He exclaimed, obstructing Liena's path in defense of the pitiful man.

The man paused momentarily, turning to observe Randy obstructing Liena.

"You dare question my actions? Why are you obstructing my path and interfering with my mission? Was your earlier promise just empty words?" Liena retorted in exasperation, emanating a terrifying level of power as if she were prepared to strike Randy down at any given moment.

Unfazed by her threatening aura, Brawler Randy replied: "But he has transformed into his human form. Doesn't that indicate sincerity in surrendering himself? If you bring him in alive, wouldn't it provide the analysts with a specimen to study and ensure the removal of the Demon Seed without resorting to lethal measures like killing the helpless man in cold blood?"

"What do you know? Do you think trusting a Demon Seed Bearer is wise? If you believe so, you're naive. At this point, you're nothing but a pest interfering with my mission. If you don't get out of my way right now, I won't hesitate to eliminate you before pursuing that monster." Liena uttered, her words devoid of sympathy as she directed killing intent toward Brawler Randy.

Stunned by her cold detachment, Brawler Randy looked at Liena, feeling the palpable ferocity in her eyes. Despite Liena's prior warnings about the dangers of the Demon Seed, he realized he had underestimated the gravity of the situation due to his own sense of morality.

Though he knew Liena was frustrated with him for sticking by her side, refusing to leave until she assisted him in touring Mercenary Street, she had never shown such killing intent toward him before. This alone underscored the severity of the present circumstances.

Taking this into account, he chose to remain silent, refraining from responding to her emotionless words. Brawler stood there quietly, observing Liena.

Realizing she had gone too far, Liena sought to clarify herself.

"The Demon Seed within him has already sprouted, and he has begun killing people to quell the murderous impulses. After battling him in his demonic form, his energy levels have significantly dropped, weakening his regenerative abilities. This is my only opportunity to eliminate him without causing further casualties in nearby villages. Do you understand?

If he escapes now and regains his strength, it will be too late to deal with him." She explained.

"The only reason he was running away and pretending to be helpless and repentant was to lower my guard, so it could seize the opportunity to head toward the nearby village, where we just came from. He intends to slaughter and consume the vulnerable villagers to regain his lost strength."

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Liena's explanation caused Brawler Randy's eyes to widen in shock and realization. To confirm and substantiate Liena's assertion, a scene behind him suddenly caught his attention, prompting him to turn around.

The man, who had momentarily paused to observe their dramatic confrontation, seized the chance to flee upon realizing his plans had been foiled before execution.

Despite his injuries, his mildly disfigured form already healing from the influence of the germinated Demon Seed, he sprinted without hesitation, the resounding boom of his departure echoing behind Brawler Randy and under the gaze of Liena, who was obstructed by Brawler Randy.

Observing the man's trajectory as he shot away with alarming speed, Brawler Randy's appearance underwent a transformation. The ends of his hair gained a purple streak, his eyes emanating a grayish-purple luminosity.

Under Liena's watchful gaze, Brawler Randy turned and dashed with all his might, swiftly overtaking the fleeing man and apprehending him with a speed even greater than the latter's.

"What were you trying to accomplish by fleeing in that direction?" Brawler Randy coldly demanded, eyeing the man, who had mostly healed from his injuries, with a complicated expression.

Feeling a sense of betrayal and disappointment, Brawler Randy reflected on his attempt to save the man, only to find him attempting to escape toward their village. The potential consequences of his misguided intervention weighed heavily on Randy's mind. Despite hearing Liena's words, he hadn't entirely believed the man was beyond redemption.

He had hoped there might be a way to save him if his sanity remained intact. However, the man's actions seemed to confirm Liena's assessment of being beyond redemption. They couldn't allow someone capable of harming innocent lives, possibly even their own family, to roam free.

Pinned to the ground by Brawler Randy's firm grip, the man struggled with all his might, his veins bulging and his skin reddening as he attempted to transform. Despite his efforts, he failed to complete the transformation due to Brawler Randy actively manipulating his blood flow through his Blood Authority Skill.

When the man realized his transformation had failed, he pleaded for mercy in a pitiful manner, hoping to take advantage of the overly sympathetic Brawler Randy, who tried to save him earlier.

Annoyed by the man's pretense, Brawler Randy demanded sternly.

"Tell me! Were you intending to attack the village just now?"

At the sound of his question, the man ceased his pretense, pondering for a moment to consider before defiantly replying with a righteous look plastered on his face.

"N-No… You're mistaken. I had no idea that was the direction of the nearby village. I simply chose a path at random to escape."

The man's response caused Brawler Randy's expression to turn extremely cold. He remembered the man's earlier claims of being from the nearby village and knowing everyone there, suggesting his familiarity with the area and the direction leading to the village. Yet now, he asserted he had randomly chosen the location, which coincidentally led to the nearby village.

Even if his claim were true, Brawler Randy felt the man might have attacked the villagers out of desperation if he had gone to the nearby village, and he would have had to bear responsibility for such a tragedy. Even if he wasn't complicit in committing the act of murdering innocent lives, he would have been the catalyst that would have propelled the man to commit such actions.

"Why did you allow yourself to become a pawn of the demons? Was it worth it?" Brawler Randy posed this question, sensing the man may have been a good person in the past before being ensnared by a trick of fate without considering the consequences of his actions.

The man's demeanor turned gloomy and melancholic as he muttered, "I only wanted to protect my family. They demanded sacrifices from our village, but when the chief refused to offer our children, he was killed. Fearful for my family's safety, I sought aid from the demons to spare my family. I didn't do anything wrong.

It was the Royal Family's fault for failing to protect us, allowing the demons to exploit us and use our children for their sinister rituals."

Suddenly, Liena, standing nearby, interjected with a burst of anger.

"What made you think aligning with vile demons would save you and your family? Why not seek assistance from the nearby Outpost City?"

Her words ignited resentment in the man. His bottled-up emotions erupted, and he shouted at Liena.

"What do you know, huh?! What does someone living in safety and comfort understand about our plight? If the Outpost City had listened and responded to our pleas, sent multiple times by our late Chief, would I have made such a pact with demons?!"

Though tempted to respond to his outburst, Liena remained silent, withholding her retort.

After allowing the man to calm down, she spoke with a hint of sarcasm in her tone.

"You may have a point. The Outpost City's negligence may have driven you to seek help from the very demons you needed protection from. Since we can't change the past, I won't hold you entirely responsible for your actions. But in the end, did you manage to protect your family? Are they still alive?"

"Of course, they're alive. Did you think I would harm my own family?" The man retorted, seemingly contradicting his earlier claim that his family had been killed by the monster, which was himself.

"...For how long? How long do you think they'll remain safe? A day? A week? Do you realize what you've become?" Liena pressed on, unfazed by his denial of his previous claim.

The man remained silent, his mind flashing back to the atrocities he had committed since his transformation into a demonic being. He didn't anticipate becoming such a monster with uncontrollable murderous impulses when he joined forces with the demon to seek asylum for his family. At the very least, he had expected to become a low-level demon, not a disposable pawn.

"Since you're unwilling to answer, I'll do it for you. Your murderous impulses... Do you understand that by taking innocent lives and tearing families apart, you've become even worse than the demons? Perhaps, for now, your family is safe because you've isolated yourself in this hut. But do you honestly believe you won't pose a threat to them eventually?

As your killing instincts grow stronger each day, do you believe you can hold on to your morality and still maintain the same assurance that you won't harm your loved ones with the sinister powers you've gained as a pawn of the demons?" Liena's words struck at the core of the man's confidence, leaving him speechless.