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Chapter 37 ~Behemoth~

  Acacia POV

  'Why is it even awake?' Acacia wondered. 'Or rather, why did it hatch?'

  'Most likely it sensed your presence and mistook you for its mother,' Daemonis suggested, 'or perhaps it simply hatched on its own.'

  Acacia raised a brow, scrutinizing the squirming lizard in her hand. It was incredibly thin, looking more like a living shoelace than a creature of any potential threat.

  'But why would it think I'm its mother though?' she mused. 'Especially since I've never even physically seen the egg?'

  'Your mana signature is unlike others,' Daemonis explained. 'And Slitherwings possess the unique ability to sense mana, allowing them to differentiate between predators and prey based on their mana levels.'

  Acacia's grip tightened slightly on the tiny creature as it continued to futilely nip at her hand, its minuscule teeth having no effect.

  'This is supposed to be a threat?' she questioned a hint of disbelief in her tone.

  'Not right now,' Daemonis conceded, 'but once it matures, they grow to be exceptionally large.'

  "And how exactly am I supposed to raise this thing?" Acacia asked, a touch of exasperation in her voice.

  'The same way you would raise any other pet,' Daemonis replied dryly.

  As if to emphasize its displeasure, the Slitherwing hissed at her. It stopped its ineffectual biting, then suddenly twisted its slender body and wrapped itself tightly around her arm. Acacia waved her hand dismissively, but the creature refused to release its grip. With a sigh of resignation, she turned her attention to the beast-man on the ground beside her. Without warning, she grabbed his muzzle and yanked it off his face. He immediately erupted in a series of guttural growls and snarls.

  "Can you speak?" Acacia inquired, her tone surprisingly calm despite the display of aggression. The beast-man, however, continued to growl and snap, behaving like a wild animal trapped in a corner. 'He showed humane emotions before...oh well.'

  Acacia's leg shot out, a sharp kick connecting with his abdomen. The beast-man gasped, a guttural sound, but the growling didn't cease.

  'Will you be satisfied with his death?' Daemonis's voice echoed in her mind.

  "Only one way to find out," Acacia mumbled, her gaze fixed on the struggling figure. She bent down and reached for the bindings on his arms, gripping it with force and removing it. The beast-man backed away from her before running with surprising speed on all fours. His coarse skin rapidly transformed into a thick coat of crimson fur, and the scars etched across his face seemed to deepen with renewed ferocity.

  "Come on, fight me," Acacia taunted, a smile stretching across her lips as she gestured towards herself. The beast-man roared, a guttural sound filled with rage, and lunged. Acacia sidestepped with practised ease, the razor-sharp claws missing her by inches. He wheeled around, a blur of red fur, launching another rapid attack, his claws slashing wildly through the air.

  Suddenly, he backed away against and stood up to his full height, his powerful leg shot out, connecting with Acacia's side with brutal force.

  A sharp grunt escaped her lips as she was slammed backwards, stumbling before regaining her footing. She shook her head. "It's so different now," she mumbled under her breath.

  Before she could fully process the thought, the beast-man was upon her again, tackling her to the ground with a savage force. He straddled her, a primal fury contorting his features, and unleashed a brutal assault. His fists rained down on her face, each blow a sickening crunch of bone and tearing of flesh. Blood erupted from her nose and mouth, painting his red fur a darker shade. His claws raked across her skin, ripping through muscle and sinew, leaving deep, crimson furrows. Finally, with a desperate, guttural cry, he plunged his claws deep into her chest, tearing through flesh and bone until they found her heart. A final, wet gurgle escaped Acacia's lips as a torrent of blood erupted from the gaping wound, splattering across the floor in a grotesque crimson bloom.

  Acacia remained unnervingly still under his brutal assault, not a twitch betraying any lingering life. The beast-man, oblivious, began to laugh, a triumphant, guttural sound that echoed in the silence. He didn't cease his savage actions, revelling in what he believed was his victory.

  'Let's borrow a few ideas,' Acacia thought. Her eyes remained closed, and a subtle shift occurred in the air around her. The blood that stained the ground and clung to her ravaged skin began to lift. It coalesced into thousands of minuscule, razor-sharp needles. In an instant, these crimson projectiles shot outwards, embedding themselves into the beast-man's fur and flesh. He let out a strangled cry, collapsing to the ground as Acacia slowly sat up. A thick, ethereal steam billowed from her ravaged face, swirling and knitting the torn tissues and shattered bones back into place.

  Her restored face now turned towards the writhing figure on the ground, her gaze focused. With a subtle gesture, she forced the blood needles deeper into his body, concentrating her will on the mana in the needles. The tiny crimson shards pierced his organs, disrupting his energy flow and causing him to convulse and thrash in agony. His triumphant laughter had turned into choked gasps and desperate whimpers as the invisible assault tore him apart from the inside.

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  Acacia rose to her feet, her movements fluid despite the recent brutality. The beast-man below her coughed, a thick spray of crimson staining the ground. Suddenly, the Slitherwing, which had been silently clinging to Acacia's arm, detached itself and launched towards the fallen figure. With surprising speed, it slithered into the beast-man's open mouth. His writhing intensified, his limbs flailing with a renewed, desperate energy for a few agonizing minutes before abruptly ceasing. The Slitherwing then crawled back out, its serpentine body slick with fresh blood, its tiny mouth seemingly licking its nonexistent lips.

  "Did you kill him?" Acacia asked, her gaze falling upon the blood-slicked reptile, who responded with a sharp hiss. "Oh well," she shrugged, "he was going to die anyway. You need a name if I'm going to keep you." She watched as the creature swiftly scurried towards her leg and scaled it with surprising agility, wrapping itself around her arm once more.

  "You hiss at me, yet cling to me like glue," Acacia sighed, observing the scaly creature coiled around her limb. "Four limbs, remarkably thin, and undeniably annoying." Abruptly, the Slitherwing nipped at her arm. "Sharp teeth and tiny claws... supposedly you'll grow big. Are you male or female?"

  'Male,' Daemonis answered.

  "Well then," Acacia declared, looking down at the creature, "I will call you... Behemoth." Behemoth immediately hissed and wriggled in protest. Acacia raised a brow. "Deal with it."

  Acacia shifted her attention to the lifeless beast-man. Bending down, she gripped his leg and, with a grunt of effort, dragged his considerable weight towards the edge of the rooftop. With a final heave, she tossed his body over the side, the sickening thud echoing from below. "Damn, he was heavy," she muttered, wiping her hands together. "And I think I've definitely done enough for today." Turning on her heel, Acacia walked away, leaving the scene behind.

  As she headed back inside, Acacia raised the arm where Behemoth was coiled, her gaze hardening. "If you disturb me or act out in any way," she warned, her voice low and firm, "I will eat you," Behemoth responded with a defiant hiss, but Acacia simply tugged her sleeves down, concealing the creature from view. Her appearance shimmered and reformed, dissolving to reveal Elric as she descended the stairs. The lower levels were a hive of frantic activity, people rushing back and forth, their voices a buzz of alarm. The air crackled with the news of an enemy within and the disappearance of the beast-man.

  Acacia simply strode past the commotion, heading towards the elevators. She selected the top floor and rode in silence, stepping out into the courtyard. A small crowd had gathered around a still form, but Acacia ignored them, her focus solely on reaching the dormitories. She made her way to the apartment door and paused, a moment of uncertainty flickering across her face.

  'Ah, I forgot about the scanner, but I didn't lock it either,' she realized, pursing her lips in slight annoyance. She pushed the door open with a firm hand, only to stumble slightly as it yielded far more easily than she anticipated.

  The moment the door clicked shut behind her, Erla's features seamlessly replaced Elric's. She noticed his room remained closed and quickly hurried to her own, eager to change into a simple nightgown. With considerable effort, she tried to detach Behemoth from her arm, but the stubborn creature merely slithered upwards, wrapping itself around her neck like a living scarf.

  Acacia sighed in resignation and channelled her mana, subtly altering the reptile's appearance until it resembled an ornate necklace. Satisfied with the disguise, she rushed back to Elric's door and pushed it open. Before she could even register the room's interior, a hand shot out, gripping her neck with surprising force and slamming her against the adjacent wall.

  "Don't play games with me...!" Elric roared, his eyes bloodshot and wild with unsettling intensity, while Acacia gasped for breath, her back protesting against the impact. The temptation to knee him sharply and deliver another brutal beating was almost overwhelming.

  "You're finally awake..." Acacia said softly, a gentle smile gracing her lips as she gazed into his bloodshot eyes and cupped his cheek with a tender hand. "I don't care if you hurt me," she murmured, her voice filled with a strange mixture of relief and concern, "I just want you to be safe."

  Elric's grip on her neck loosened, his fingers slowly unfurling as a wave of confusion washed over his face. He stumbled back, his eyes darting around the room as if trying to make sense of his surroundings. Acacia rubbed her bruised neck, deliberately suppressing the flow of her healing mana, wanting the physical reminder of his aggression to linger.

  "What happened to me?" Elric stammered, his hands flying to his battered face as he looked around the room in bewilderment. "I saw the captain... and Acacia... and you..." He gripped his hair in frustration, his brow furrowed in a painful attempt to recall the fragmented memories.

  "Who is Acacia?" Acacia asked, her voice trembling, tears welling in her eyes and beginning to spill down her cheeks. "All I remember is coming to you for dinner, and then you suddenly left for a meeting, I think. And then... you came back, talking about poison or something, and your face... it looked like that." Her voice hitched. "I tried to help you, but you just kept thrashing around... and I was so scared, Elric, so scared... so I hit you with a kitchen spoon." A sob escaped her lips. "You fainted, surprisingly... I wasn't expecting it to work. So I just... I dragged you to your room, and I didn't know if I should use first aid or call someone, but I don't even have a phone..." Her words tumbled out in a rush of fear and distress.

  "I... I did?" Elric repeated, his voice laced with confusion and a dawning sense of unease. He slowly raised his head, his gaze meeting hers, a flicker of worry replacing the earlier disorientation.

  "I'm scared, please don't leave me," Acacia choked out, her voice thick with tears. She rushed towards him and wrapped her arms around him tightly, burying her face in his chest. "You should rest immediately. You're hurt," Acacia urged softly, her voice still trembling slightly.

  "...okay," Elric replied, his own voice weak and uncertain. Acacia gently pulled away from the embrace and carefully helped him lie down on the bed. As he settled against the pillows, Elric reached out a shaky hand and tenderly wiped the remaining tears from her cheeks.

  "Are you really okay?" Acacia asked, her brow furrowed with concern as she tucked the blanket around him. She gently removed his hand from her cheek and placed it beside him on the bed. "Should I call someone? The captain? A medic?"

  "I am fine," Elric insisted weakly, though his voice still held a tremor. "Just... stay here with me. The first aid kit is in my bathroom." He nodded slightly, and Acacia offered a small, reassuring smile before heading to his bathroom to search for it. Locating the kit, she returned to his side and began to clean his wounds with painstaking gentleness.

  "Your necklace is pretty," Elric mumbled, his face occasionally twitching as she carefully dabbed a cotton ball soaked in disinfectant on his cuts and bruises.

  "Thank you," Acacia replied, her smile widening slightly. She felt a subtle, almost imperceptible movement against her neck.

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