Assimilation

"Go on, just like I told you. And hurry up, maintaining this form is tiresome."

Rakshasa sat in front of Neto, eyes wide in anticipation. The demon had devoured the last of the disintegrating ichor-wicks.

'Burp..'

Neto was struggling to use his new skill, [Unbound Soul].

For one, the skill had many properties. It was a passive that supposedly made his soul malleable, regenerative, and separable. Whatever that entailed.

Breathing in.... Feeling the life force permeating his body... morphing it into a peculiar shape....

"I don't get how to do this. Can you show me your soul once again?"

"Seriously, you have zero talent. This is the simplest application of Unobund sou!! Why not drink the rest of that stamina potion before continuing?"

Neto forgot about that… he emptied the bottle into his throat.

This was the largest dose of Stamina he'd ever consumed. The initial rush felt as if someone had injected him with pure caffeine and replaced his consciousness with AI. It didn't even feel like his mind was working faster; it just felt like everything else was moving slowly...

Rakshasa created the image of her soul in Neto's mind. He could see it from all directions at once. A feeling so alien, a shape so disorienting, Neto's brain trembled.

"Pfft. I mastered this skill when I was a baby."

"Yeah, well, I'm not a baby or a demon, so its understandable to struggle a bit."

Neto winced, trying once again.

{...Actually, you are part demon now.}

"What?"

Neto hadn't noticed, but Rakshasa disappeared.

As his body heat drained, shadows covered his skin, forming an outer-layer of fur and horns. The stamina potion must've helped.

{Congrats. Only took you half an hour… I hope your friends not dead.}

Neto had finally learned the subskill |Assimilation|. According to Rakshasa, subskills couldn't be learned through leveling, only through creativity, experience, or the guidance of a unique spirit. However, the skill would put an immense burden on Neto's soul, so he could only use it once-every three months as a level one.

Now he could use some of Rakshasa's skills through incantations, acquiring bonus stats for the duration. While assimilated, XP would split evenly between the two, but Rakshasa could rest. Apparently using a physical body was draining for the demon.

"Shit, I should get moving."

Neto was curious about that teleportation spell Rakshasa used during their wolf battle.

"[Shunpo]" he called.

Immediately, the solids in Neto's body melted. He'd dissolved into the shadow of a nearby tree, existing in a dimension where [Unbound Sense] was his only way of seeing the world.

In his old body, Neto wouldn't have been able to see much, but in Rakshasas, Neto's passive skill heightened. It was as if Neto could access a higher level of skill without requiring XP.

He tried moving, and shot like a cannon over to the next tree. He continued, using [Shunpo] to hop from shadow to shadow, covering impossible distances instantly.

'How do I summon that scythe you used.'

{The incantation is... um... 'Kaori'}

'Why're you getting flustered suddenly?'

{... shut up. Im tired.}

It wasn't long before Neto could sense a familiar aura...

Hopping out of a bushes shadow, Neto crept closer to where he could feel Toru's presence. A clearing in the woods.

'Kaori' He whispered.

A weapon appeared in his hands.

Neto's two meter scythe certainly looked heavy, but weighed nothing. This was much bigger than the one Rakshasa used.

BOOM!

Neto heard an explosion but didn't see a flash... He peered into the clearing from behind a stump. Beside a four-meter crater, a man in red was chanting an incantation.

The rune eyed man!

"Quick little Rabbit..." he muttered. Toru must've escaped!

Neto noticed the man cast no shadow...

'A vampire?' He wondered.

One cube-shaped tendril of earth shot out of the ground, arcing down with such force, another enormous crater appeared.

BOOM!

'His spell breaks the sound barrier.' Neto thought. 'How can Toru dodge something like that? Are his instincts seriously amazing?'

Neto's eyes could track the spell with ease. He'd made the correct choice about drinking the rest of that potion.

Mr. Rune-eye was certainly dangerous enough to warrant doping.

"Shunpo" Neto whispered, melting into the ground. Kaori followed him.

The Bishop disappeared in a flash of light, breaking the sound barrier once again, but Neto could follow him with [Unbound Sense].

More blasts echoed through the woods, smashing the soft layers inside of Neto's ear. They reminded him of jet planes flying by.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

It wasn't long before Neto's chase ended.

He popped out of the shadows, only to find the Bishop standing over an incapacitated Toru, and a strange-looking girl with emerald hair who wasn't moving either.

'I must be a destructive influence if Toru can find a girlfriend so soon after leaving..'

Toru wasn't hit directly. That would've been fatal, though it seemed like the air pressure from near-strikes did considerable damage to both of their heads.

Blood leaked from their ears.

Placing one finger to his lips, Neto snuck up behind the Bishop.

SWING!

He missed a lethal blow! Instead, Neto cut into the man's shoulder before the sound barrier broke once again.

BOOM!

The bishop disappeared.

"Inventory! Lesser health potion times two!" Neto called, rushing over to Toru.

'Glug,' 'Glug'

"Take your girlfriend and run, Ill take care of that rune guy." Neto pleaded, placing the other potion in his companion's hands.

"S-she's not m-my-." Toru gave him a baffled look, but nodded and hurried over to the unconscious lady. "Be careful! I heard the portal's closing soon!"

"Oh, a demon who can speak? You must be the one I couldn't see." the Bishop shouted from out of Neto's eyesight. "I'd prefer if you went all out right now, Mr. Demon, so know that those two will die if you don't finish me within five minutes."

Neto didn't respond.

In fact, he was already running towards the Bishop's aura.