Attack Of Parasites

"Hurry, it will catch up to us!" the parasite urged.

"This is the best I can do," Uda panted, drenched in sweat.

"I don't think we'll be a tough obstacle for it; we don't stand a chance in a fight. Let's run," the parasite insisted, confident in their inability to win.

"No, we can't. Izumi and Migi will be here soon; we need to work with them as a team to defeat her," Uda argued.

The parasite glanced around the area before directing his host, "Take that path; our chances will be better there."

"Izumi!" Migi called out.

Izumi opened his palm and asked, "Can you sense another parasite?"

"No, I'm tired..." Migi said, feeling drowsy.

Izumi stopped immediately, exclaiming, "This is unbelievable!"

"I can't stay awake much longer..." Migi said in a low voice, on the verge of closing his eyes.

"Wake up, Migi!" Izumi shouted.

"Are you going to let Uda and his parasite die?!" Migi continued.

"At least I can leave this to you," Migi said, forming a sword from his right hand connected to Izumi's right arm—a massive, double-edged electric sword.

"Use it if you need it, but run if you can. Choose... survival... over everything..." Migi advised, then fell into a deep sleep.

Signs of tension were evident on Izumi's face. How would he wield this enormous sword connected to his arm when he had no notable combat skills? His previous experiences had been as an observer while Migi handled everything. How would Izumi react if he were caught in a fight?

"I'll be fine if I combine my strength with Uda and his parasite," Izumi thought aloud.

Uda continued to run along the path suggested by his parasite, but soon he reached the end of the road and found himself in an open area atop a coastal cliff.

"This is where the road ends! Isn't this bad?" he panted heavily.

"No, even if she arrives, you and Izumi can corner her here," the parasite replied.

Just as Uda finished speaking, they heard footsteps approaching. Turning around, they saw Izumi's mother standing there, staring at them. Uda and his parasite found themselves in a precarious situation, especially since Izumi had not yet appeared.

A sound of fear resembling a whimper escaped Uda, which made the mother confident of her victory. "You're the second human I've encountered with a functioning brain. We didn't come to this planet to befriend humans; you failures at brain takeover are a burden to our kind," she said with emotionless disdain.

"I'll end you now," the mother declared as Uda took a step back.

The transformation began as her face split into vertical layers, forming deadly sharp weapons. Uda screamed at the horrifying sight before him, while the parasite was impressed. Uda's parasite admired the transformation the mother underwent, saying, "So, that's the full form I'm supposed to take."

The edges of her face elongated, shaping into scimitars at the tips.

"Where! Where is she?" Izumi called out as he walked, searching for Uda.

The clash of swords was deafening as the fight erupted between Uda and his mother, drawing Izumi's attention as he hurried toward the source of the sound. The mother attacked Uda with her four limbs, while Uda's parasite countered with the same number of limbs after having split. It was a battle of offense against defense, with the mother not giving the parasite any chance to retaliate. Uda swayed from the rapid movements of his parasite, unable to hold back his tears, waiting for that moment when his head would be severed.

To be fair, Uda's parasite stood as a solid barrier against all of the mother's attacks. The latter grew weary and paused her assault for a moment, while Uda stumbled and fell to the ground, unable to believe he was still alive.

The mother retracted her limbs slightly and approached Uda, saying, trying to belittle him, "You're pathetic. The human you've chosen is lazy and unworthy of fighting for. You should just give up."

"Well, I agree with some of what you're saying. Plus, his labored breathing is exhausting me. This woman's attack follows a simple pattern, targeting one part of my body..." Uda's parasite thought aloud.

"The battle is over! Die!" the mother said, then stretched her limbs, preparing to attack again.

The mother lunged fiercely once more, but this time the fight lasted only a few brief seconds. The sword pierced Uda's chest after his parasite had lowered its defense. What happened was illogical; an incomprehensible movement from the parasite led to Uda—or rather, to both of them—receiving a fatal stab to the heart.

Uda lost his balance from the stab and fell from the top of the cliff to the edge of another cliff below. The mother approached the cliff's edge to ensure the human was dead and said aloud, "Destroying the heart is the quickest way to end a fight."

With his eyes looking up at the mother, Uda's parasite muttered, "I thought my guess was right."

The mother returned to her normal form and suddenly turned around. "Another one? This is strange; the signal is very weak," she said, referring to the presence of another parasite nearby.

Izumi emerged from the trees, leaving the mother in shock. "What? I killed you! How did you survive such a stab? I hit my target; it's impossible, how!" she exclaimed, bewildered.

Izumi's gaze towards his mother was filled with love and longing, still unable to accept that she was no longer the person he once knew. "I guess I should have decapitated you," the mother said.

"That's terrible, even your voice sounds the same," Izumi replied, raising his sword in a fighting stance.

"I won't waste time killing you; I must eliminate you and stop the desecration you're inflicting through my mother, the one who always supported human values," Izumi declared.

Izumi averted his eyes as the mother's face twisted, revealing her lethal appendages. "That's right, a monster must look like a monster, not disguise itself behind an innocent face," he said.

"I'll kill you too," the mother replied.

Izumi was taken aback by her words. "Is Uda...?!" He couldn't finish his sentence, convincing himself that what she said was impossible—just tricks to get him out of focus.

"His right hand's signal is weak, as if something has happened to his parasite. If that's true, what can he do?" the mother thought aloud.

The mother launched her limbs one after another in a coordinated attack aimed at eliminating Izumi. However, Izumi had other ideas, dodging the first four strikes and discovering new abilities he had developed, alongside his speed and jumping.

"Impossible! Humans don't have that kind of reaction! How?!" the mother exclaimed.

In another attack, the mother's parasite aimed downward, but Izumi jumped high, clearing the space where the mother stood. "I see it! I can perceive every movement she makes; her attacks seem slow. This is different from the battles Migi fought," Izumi thought aloud.

Izumi figured out the pattern of the mother's attacks and began to deflect them with his sword instead of just evading. He blocked all her blows, her four limbs ending in sharp blades that failed to pierce Izumi.

Izumi lost his composure when he spotted Uda unconscious, a surge of determination fueling his resolve. For the first time, he initiated an attack, and the mother's delayed reaction due to her long limbs led to her receiving a stab in the shoulder from Izumi.