In a matter of seconds, a slime made of light burst out of the corpse.
✦ ✦ ✦
Minoru’s eyes widened in awe. Before him was a dimly glowing, shapeless entity of light. Size-wise, it was more like a slime than an amoeba. It lunged at Minoru, but he didn’t dodge it. In fact, he held out his arms, almost inviting the parasite in.
A magic circle embedded in Minoru’s light summer sweater lured the parasite. The parasite dove into the circle, as if being drawn in. Minoru groaned in agony at the intrusive sensation in his mind and dropped to the warehouse floor. Crossing his legs with his left foot atop his right thigh, he assumed a half-lotus pose. Despite the pain, he managed to maintain the pose and activate a cooling spell to soothe his discomfort.
The spell lowered his body temperature to mimic a corpse-like state. By turning his consciousness inward, he focused on maintaining control and suppressing any instinctual resistance to the parasite. His pseudo-death state served as a defense mechanism against the parasitic intrusion, allowing him to preserve command of his mind.
I will not lose to a creature without a conscience! Minoru thought.
He wielded the spell’s program to subjugate the parasite without smothering it.
I will not lose this feeling! he shouted internally while engaging the parasite in battle. How could throwing away my humanity be worth it if I lose even a fraction of how I feel?!
Minoru had decided to become a parasite to save Minami from death and escape from his own vulnerable body. Still, he resisted the idea of abandoning his humanity.
Minoru had not succumbed to Gongjin Zhou’s temptations. He simply wanted to become a parasite to confirm he could maintain his own soul and mind. His goal was to prove that even if a parasite invaded a human body, the heart could conquer it. This was the only way he would consider using the parasite method to treat Minami.
In other words, Minoru was sacrificing himself by using his own body as a guinea pig. He was offering his own flesh to gain demonic power. It could have been a decision born of the resignation that he didn’t have much longer to live. But Minoru had a chance of success. Better yet, he was absolutely determined to succeed.
After acquiring Gongjin Zhou’s knowledge, Minoru realized there was no other way. He had no choice but to make this method work. Failure was not an option. At times like these, strong conviction was his greatest weapon. Sometimes, technique could be the key to defeating spiritual entities. Miyuki’s Cocytus, for example, was extremely effective at destroying fused parasites.
However, mere technique wasn’t sufficient to control spirits. Parasites weren’t like Gongjin Zhou’s ghost—a remnant of a lost life. They were creatures that, though lacking material form, consumed and proliferated on their own. To tame it and house it within the human body, someone would need a mind too powerful for the parasite to devour. Blind determination convinced Minoru that he could do it. But it was a reckless gamble.
✦ ✦ ✦
“Obey and become one with me!” Minoru roared, and all of a sudden, the assimilation process came to an end.
I am Minoru Kudou.
I hear a voice trying to connect with me.
It’s whispering for us to become one.
But…
I am me, not “us.”
Minoru had merged with the parasite but managed to remain himself. He put an end to the cooling spell on his body and rolled onto his back.
Thanks to the parasite’s regenerative abilities, Minoru’s frostbite healed quickly. He could sense that new organs had formed deep inside his forehead. It was an entirely unfamiliar phenomenon, but it had no noticeable impact on his consciousness as far as he could tell.
A chuckle bubbled up within him. Still lying on the warehouse floor, Minoru burst into gleeful laughter.
✦ ✦ ✦
