A month later, Shino was instructing Gamma and Beta as usual.
Suddenly, he felt a fluctuation in his mana.
He had left a miniature mana mark on Alpha’s Slime Bodysuit so he could monitor her condition; if Alpha were ever injured, he would sense it immediately.
“Alpha isn’t far from me.
I can reach her in three minutes!” Shino unleashed his full speed, darting like a shadow in Alpha’s direction.
At that moment, Alpha was standing in the forest, facing a beastkin girl.
“I can help you!” Alpha said with utmost sincerity.
Had Shino been there, he would have instantly recognized the beastkin girl as Delta.
A third of Delta’s body was already manifesting severe signs of Demon Possession, and the rotting flesh was heavily impacting her strength.
Alpha had approached with pure goodwill, but Delta suddenly lashed out with terrifying ferocity.
Alpha hadn’t expected the beastkin girl to unleash such explosive power despite the crippling effects of the Possession, and she sustained a minor injury.
Delta bared her fangs at Alpha, her expression savage.
Deeply ingrained with the law of the jungle, Delta knew that weakness was the ultimate sin.
Perhaps the person standing before her *could* help her, but even so, Delta needed to defeat her and *force* her to help.
The weak did not deserve to live.
The only time Delta had ever experienced “goodwill” was from her own mother.
Alpha didn’t want to hurt Delta, so she tried to reason with her.
“What you have is Demon Possession.
It’s a curse, but I can help you!
I was once afflicted with this curse too, and I was saved.
If you come with me, I will help you return to normal!” Delta didn’t trust this stranger at all.
Maintaining her hostile glare, she suddenly lunged at Alpha again.
With a powerful swipe of her claws, she knocked Alpha back—and then turned and fled.
She could clearly feel her body reaching its absolute limit.
If she stayed any longer, she would be a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
She needed to find a place to rest.
Just as Delta made her escape, Shino arrived at Alpha’s side.
“Alpha, you seem to be injured.
Are you alright?” “Eh?
Lord Phantom, why are you here?” “Let’s talk about you first,” Phantom said, pointing at the wound on her body.
“I just encountered a beastkin girl suffering from Demon Possession.
She suddenly attacked me, injured me, and ran away!” Shino waved his hand, enveloping Alpha in a warm glow of mana.
The injury vanished instantly.
“This…
Lord Phantom’s mana can even heal wounds?” Alpha asked in awe.
“Of course.
I can do much more than that, it’s just that my luck has been a bit terrible lately,” Shino sighed.
Shino had originally wanted to be like Cid—ambushing Cult members in the night or heroically rescuing Possessed girls.
But after a month of searching, he had found absolutely nothing, save for a few common bandits who were ridiculously broke.
“By the way, which direction did that beastkin girl run?” Alpha pointed the way.
“I’ll go after her then.” Shino vanished from the spot.
As Delta fled for her life, her beastkin instincts screamed that someone with absolutely terrifying strength was pursuing her.
Knowing she couldn’t outrun a predator of that caliber, she simply stopped running.
Within a few breaths, Shino caught up to her.
Instead of fleeing, Delta launched an all-out attack directly at Shino.
Shino casually raised a single hand, caught Delta’s arm, and effortlessly slammed her into the ground.
Delta felt an agonizing pain wrack her body, even though Shino hadn’t used much force at all.
*Strange,* Shino thought to himself.
*I remember when Delta met Cid, she immediately submitted and called him ‘Boss’.
Why is she attacking me right off the bat?
Is it because I chased her down like prey, whereas Cid just bumped into her?* Delta gritted her teeth and tried to get back up, but Shino merely snapped his fingers.
His mana materialized into thick ropes, instantly hoisting Delta up and hanging her from a tree branch.
“I am stronger than you, so I am now your master.
Understand?” Delta wanted to resist, but she had zero strength left.
Even though she had only been thrown to the ground once, she felt as if every drop of mana in her body had been completely drained.
Understanding the absolute gap in their power, Delta nodded weakly, then lost consciousness.
Seeing that Delta had passed out, Shino decided to just treat her Possession right there in the woods.
Just then, a figure walked out from the shadows of the trees.
“What a coincidence, Shadow,” Shino said without even looking up.
Since Shino’s mana couldn’t probe the strength of the person approaching, it could only be Cid.
“Phantom, are you out for a stroll as well?” Cid asked, staying perfectly in character.
“Something like that.” Shino focused his attention on healing Delta.
At that moment, Alpha caught up to them.
“Lord Phantom?
Lord Shadow?
Why are you both here?” “Just a coincidence!” Shadow declared, his cape billowing dramatically.
“I have important matters to attend to, so I’ll be taking my leave!” With that, Shadow swiftly departed into the night, leaving Shino to finish the job.
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