God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.-Chapter 818: Soul Parasites (2).

Steve cleared his throat, trying to hide the disgusted, terrified grimace on his face,

"I–I see... So that’s how they are."

Cain nodded, "Indeed. Frightening, isn’t it?"

Blaze wore a deep frown on his face,

"Still, to think there would be such a large difference in the stages of development."

Calio turned his head away,

"Shit! I think I’m gonna be sick!"

Cain stood straight and stared down at the three specimen laying on the floor below.

One was a female Hunter from Valestorm, the same one Hunter and Dan had encountered in the alleyway. Another was a Pilgrim from the Temple of Sands, and the last one was a Beastman with feline features.

Staring down at all three, Cain couldn’t help but feel a headache coming up.

’This isn’t going to be easy, is it?’

All three were conscious, but firmly bound and gagged.

The one thing all three had in common, was that there was a {Parasyte Soulfiend} in their body, lodged at the base of their spine.

Cain turned to Hunter.

Hunter glanced back and sighed,

"They were easy to miss at first. We didn’t notice anything strange around her."

He frowned, staring down at the woman who stared back up at him with pleading, tearful eyes.

His already terrible expression soured even more,

"Then I asked her a few questions..."

He turned to Cain, his eyes narrowed,

"She had joined the fight to push back the Devils at the Dome’s borders recently. Not only that, but her mana levels are perfectly average. Wouldn’t that make her the perfect candidate and host?"

Cain smiled, "So that’s how you found out. But surely, that isn’t enough incriminating evidence, right? Surely, she should have done something to set your instincts off."

Hunter shook his head,

"No, she was very careful. Or rather, whatever is controlling her is very careful. But I could smell it."

Cain raised a brow, "Smell what?"

Hunter’s face turned dark,

"The scent of corruption. The Zombies have a similar odor, albeit it is masked with the scent of decay and rot. Her’s was also very mild, so I almost missed it."

Cain couldn’t help but stare at Hunter’s nose.

’Is it that powerful?’

Even with his terrifying perception points, he had been unable to sense anything.

’Then again, I guess he is special that way...’

Cain let out a sigh,

"Mine was quite easy to catch, really. This one is rather far gone." Cain said.

Everyone gathered stared down at the most restless and violent of the three captives.

Staring at the mess of mangled limbs the human had become, Cain couldn’t help but scrunch his face up in disgust.

They had done nothing to him.

All the injuries and broken body parts were self-inflicted wounds.

The symptoms were also very apparent. For one, underneath the clothes, his skin has already begun to turn black, with a tar-like puss leaking from his orifices.

His nails had grown long, hard and sharp.

His eyes had turned completely black, devoid of sclera.

Despite being bound, his face contorted in all sorts of terrifying expressions, and despite the injuries, he continued to move with incredibly agility.

If not for the strength of Cain’s chains, there was no doubt it would have broken out already.

Cain recalled how he had encountered and apprehended this Pilgrim.

It had been a chance encounter, which seemed to suggest that these creatures might have already populated Valestorm already.

That didn’t sound good at all.

Encountering someone on a random rooftop would have been incredibly awkward, but the Pilgrim had pretended not to see him. Even when he had called out, it had ignored him.

Then, the moment he approached, it had attacked out of the blue.

At first, Cain had initially believed the Pilgrim had just been up to no good.

However, after a brief examination, he had come to the conclusion that he had apprehended one of his targets.

How lucky...

Blaze turned to the Beastman, "That guy was acting a bit strange, so we decided to just pick him up."

Hunter raised a brow and couldn’t help but ask,

"What if he was just drunk?"

Blaze shrugged, "There was no smell of alcohol on his breath. Plus, this was different. He moved with the crowd, but made no effort to be a part of it. Like an observer, so to say. It was rather unsettling."

"It’s a good thing we have more than one to make comparisons with." Steve said with a slight frown.

He then turned to Cain,

"From what I can see, there are various stages of infection."

He glanced at the woman,

"She seems to be the most lucky, as she still has her wits about her."

Then he turned to the Beastman,

"He seems absolutely delirious. His eyes are unfocused, but it is clear his mind is still here. However, he isn’t responding much to stimulus."

Then he glanced at the writhing abomination that was once a man with a grimace,

"This dude... Is no longer human, it seems. A Corrupted. The Devil Essence has already seeped into his being. Make s you wonder what their goals are with these types of things."

Cain frowned,

"If I have to guess, this isn’t the finished product. That would be far more terrifying."

Cain frowned as he considered something,

"I believe the infection characteristics varies with time. This guy should be at a crucial stage. A ’transformation stage’ dare I say."

Cain leaned forward, his eyes scanning over the writhing Devil corrupted Pilgrim,

"Who knows, maybe he came to the rooftop to find somewhere dark and isolated to complete his transformation. It should have gone smoothly, but unfortunately for it, I just so happened to be there as well."

Steve hummed, "Seems like a play of fate, so to say."

"Now, then, what do we do?"

Cain chuckled,

"Isn’t it obvious?"

He turned to Hunter and Dan.

Hunter raised a brow,

"What?"

Cain grinned,

"I think we should question the only one that is still sane. Or at the very least still shows some signs of sanity."

Hunter snorted, "Great. How great..."

Then he sighed and turned to face the woman who already had tears and snot running down her face.

They all exchanged awkward glances.

"I’ll get rid of the gag, but you have to promise to stay quiet. Can you do that?" Hunter said, looking right into the woman’s eyes.

The woman nodded vigorously.

Hunter let out a sigh, then turned to Cain.

Cain nodded and with a thought, the metal bindings that covered her mouth turned into motes of glittering dust.

The woman coughed violently, gasping for air.

Hunter smiled, although it didn’t reach his eyes,

"Calm down. We aren’t trying to hurt you."

The woman glared at him,

"Sure does seem like it."

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

Then her she glanced around.

Staring at the men around her, her already tear streaked face paled and even more tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Please,. don’t do this. I beg of you."

Cain’s expression turned ugly,

"Lady, please, you can relax. We aren’t fiends. I promise you we truly mean you no harm here."

She turned to Cain, her eyes red, tears still falling,

"Then what about them?"

Cain turned to the other two men bound and gagged.

His expression turned a bit ugly,

"This... These two might be too far gone to save."

The woman let out a loud wail. Steve grimaced, then glared at Hunter.

"Just stay quiet, damn it! Do you want to end up like them?!" Hunter growled.

Perhaps, it was the pressure he exuded in that moment, but the woman suddenly fell quiet. However, she looked like she was a single push away from pissing herself.

Hunter sighed. Then he asked,

"What is your name?"

The woman was quiet for a moment. Then she spoke in a soft, trembling voice,

"Hina."

Hunter tried to smile again. This time, it was uglier than before, revealing his rather sharp canines.

Hina shivered in fear.

Sensing this, Hunter quick tried to take her attention away from his beastly features,

"Well, Hina. It is unfortunate to hear this, but I have to give it to you straight."

Hunter hesitated for a moment, then sighed,

"You... Have a Devil inside you."

Hina blinked, and her tears stopped for a moment.

She raised a brow, clearly confused by his words,

"I have a... what?"

Hunter turned to Dan, his eyes seeking help desperately.

Dan stifled a laugh then cleared his throat,

"To put it bluntly, your body has been invaded by a variant Devil know as a {Parasyte Soulfiend}. A creative that latches onto its host to influence its mind and soul, turning it into a mindless slave."

Hina shivered,

"What are you trying to say?! I don’t understand it at all! I don’t understand any of this! That can’t be possible, right? You are just lying to me!"

Hunter pursed his lips,

"I wish I were, but that is the unfortunate truth." He said, glancing at the other two.

Hina took a deep breath to calm herself. Then she spoke again, her tone desperate,

"But I don’t feel strange at all. I don’t look like those two too. Are you sure you aren’t making some type of mistake here?"

Hunter shook his head,

"I am positive. In your case, the invasion should have happened recently, so I believe there is still a chance for you. However, this will only work if you cooperate with us. Can you do that?"

Silence...

Hina was silent for a while. Then she let out a laugh filled with despair and sorrow,

"So this is what my life has come to be? I can’t even die a regular death?"

Tears ran down her face as she sobbed.

Hunter fell silent, unsure of what to do.

Then he sighed,

"You are not going to die."

Hina looked up, her big, teary eyes sparkling,

"Are you sure?"

Hunter smiled wryly, "Of course. You just need to do as we say. If all goes accordingly, we should be able to extract the damned bigger without harming you in the slightest."

Hina fell silent, her head bent as though considering Hunter’s offer.

When she raised her head again, there was determination in her tearful eyes,

"Okay. I trust you."

Hunter sighed in relief then gently patted her shoulder.

"Damn. Is this the legendary Stockholm’s syndrome?" Calio whispered.

Hunter shot him a glare then turned to Cain who wore a slight smile on his face,

"I am truly impressed. Well done."

Hunter snorted. Then his expression turned serious,

"Can you do it?"

Cain’s eyes took on a mysterious glow.

He turned to Steve who seemed deep in thought about something.

He turned back to Hunter, then smiled,

"I’ll figure something out. Be rest assured you will keep your promise."

He glanced at Hina and the other two men,

"I’ll tear out the abomination feeding on their souls, even if I can’t save them. I can guarantee that much."