Chapter 16: No Need to Exist

"Look, everyone! Could that suspicious guy be the one we're looking for?" a male student exclaimed, pointing at Parasite A in the corridor. Because everyone was taking emergency shelter, his slow pace seemed odd.

"He's searching for Shinichi—no, for my presence. The crowd interference is preventing him from pinpointing my exact location."

"What if he finds us?" Shinichi asked Migi.

Migi answered without hesitation, "He's coming with intent to kill and will definitely attack you."

"So what should we do next?"

"Hide in the crowd. When he attacks indiscriminately, I'll quickly pierce his heart. It's a simple plan, but it has a higher success rate," Migi suggested, though Shinichi found it unacceptable.

He couldn't bring himself to sacrifice others for his own survival.

"To you, my classmates are just shields. I almost forgot your nature," Shinichi said, disheartened. Clenching his right hand, he resolutely pushed through the crowd and ran towards a secluded area.

At the same time, Cyrus noticed Shinichi's strange behavior. Watching him, he chuckled, "Trying to use yourself as bait to lure the parasite away? What a kind-hearted guy. Fine, I'll give you a hand for the sake of your transformation abilities."

Cyrus silently followed.

Along the way, Shinichi ran into Satomi Murano. Despite the urgency, he continued running upstairs. However, Murano grabbed his arm, thinking he had forgotten something, and asked, "Did you forget something? I'll go with you to get it."

Unexpectedly, Shinichi pulled away and shouted, "Stay away from me! Get away!"

Murano was stunned for a moment.

Realizing his mistake, Shinichi forced a smile and said, "Sorry, just leave now."

Watching Shinichi leave in a hurry, Murano's eyes filled with confusion and concern. Cyrus then appeared behind her, smiling, "Shinichi didn't mean it. He's in a bit of trouble. You should leave quickly. I'll follow him and check it out."

It's hard to believe, but Shinichi made it to the top floor in one go, only stopping when he was out of breath.

Seeing this, Migi asked in confusion, "What's wrong, Shinichi? Are you unhappy with my plan?"

"Of course! How many people do you want to see killed?"

"But isn't it natural for animals to sacrifice others to save themselves? Oh, I almost forgot—humans commit suicide. So, Shinichi, are you attempting that?"

Shinichi was speechless. "Your Japanese is good. Next time, don't speak."

He walked to a nearby classroom and began moving desks, intending to block the corridors and create a barrier.

"Need some help?"

A familiar voice came from behind. He turned to see Cyrus.

"What are you doing here?"

Cyrus moved desks alongside him and replied, "I saw a certain fool trying to handle everything alone, so I followed to watch the show."

"Thank you, Cyrus," Shinichi said sincerely.

Migi emerged from his hand, puzzled. "You say you're here to help but claim you're just watching the show. Humans are indeed strange creatures."

"However, this increases our chances of winning. Now it's three against one." Migi cut off a chair leg and shoved it into Shinichi's left hand. "We'll be fighting together soon."

"Parasite A is three meters away."

"Three meters?" Shinichi couldn't see Parasite A in the corridor.

"Below us."

Shinichi and Cyrus simultaneously looked down.

Suddenly, two tentacles burst through the glass window, hooking onto its edges. Parasite A used this leverage to leap directly in front of them, shattering Shinichi's barricade in an instant.

"Trying to block my path? You've only trapped yourselves." The sides of Parasite A's head split open, transforming into writhing tentacles. He opened his mouth full of sharp teeth and said, "Also, I'm curious about your scent," looking at Cyrus.

Cyrus sneered, "Are you sure I'm not a parasite?"

"A special companion has no reason to exist."

The tips of Parasite A's tentacles morphed into blades, slashing at Cyrus. Blood sprayed out, and pain from his chest made Cyrus instinctively look down. His once-intact school uniform was shredded into pieces, blood flowing freely from the wound.

"So fast!" both Shinichi and Cyrus exclaimed.

Cyrus couldn't even see the attack's trajectory before being injured. If the initial strike hadn't been a mere test, he would already be in pieces.

"It seems you're weaker than I thought. You were just pretending before. You even fooled Ryoko Tamiya. Ridiculous," Parasite A said coldly.

"Cyrus, are you alright?" Shinichi asked, worry etched on his face.

"I'm fine. For now, I'm not dead. But this guy is really strong," Cyrus replied, his face pale from blood loss, yet still managing a smile. Anger wouldn't solve anything; faced with death, he became even calmer. He attempted to use words to provoke an opening. "You know, another parasite wounded me before. Guess what happened?"

He wiped his hand over his wound, and it began to heal visibly. "I cut off his head, doused it in gasoline, and burned his body to ashes."

With a flick of his wrist, the black cloth covering his sword fell away.

"Die."

Ignoring Cyrus's taunt, Parasite A attacked again. Despite having only two tentacles, their speed was five times that of other parasites, even faster.

"I'll hold him off. You guys attack," Cyrus said.

Parasite A's speed was barely manageable for Migi, let alone anyone else with two tentacles to deal with.

Clang! Cyrus blocked the strike aimed at his chest with his sword.

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Ok, I plan on uploading chapter daily or at least regularly from this week 

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