Kain rushed to Lina's side, cursing under his breath as blood seeped between her trembling fingers. The wound was deep, the rough and jagged edges making any possible stitching of the wound even more difficult—thankfully that was unnecessary for him.
"Stay still!" Kain ordered, his voice firm as he directed Queen to begin healing Lina.
Lina gritted her teeth, tears of pain welling in her eyes, but she nodded wordlessly. After all, the last thing they'd need after getting this far would be too be exposed by her screaming out loud.
A pale green light surrounded the wound, and Kain could see its edges begin to fuse together at a rate visible to the eye.
Serena, had already summoned all of her contracts and had a sword in each hand, while staring guardedly at the figure inside of the cage-like cell.
Inside the cell, a hulking hybrid loomed that was almost a solid black that seemed to fuse with the shadows—explaining why its presence wasn't sensed until it got too close.
Its body was grotesquely muscular, with patches of black scaly, reptilian skin stretched taut over bulging muscle.
Its clawed hands gripped the bars, and its feral eyes glowed faintly in the very limited light that reached the cell from the hallway.
This was definitely a product of the B Series, Kain confirmed upon seeing the fusion of human and spiritual creature.
Its face retained a vaguely human shape, but the distortion of its features made it clear that whatever it once was, humanity had been stripped from it.
The hybrid let out a guttural snarl, its claws scraping against the steel bars. It was imprisoned, for now, but the force it exerted made the reinforced metal groan ominously.
"It's quite powerful," Kain murmured in contemplation. He could understand why Roman and the others would be so excited upon the proposal of receiving a small personal army of them.
Kain himself contemplated controlling it to fight for him, especially since its reduced intelligence meant it had a lower mental strength than the average green-grade spiritual creature and controlled by Bea with greater ease. After all, they were created to be easy to manipulate and control by their masters.
However, despite its monstrous form, its gaze held a fleeting quality that gave Kain pause—something sad, pleading, even as it bared its teeth.
Kain hesitated in enacting the plan that crossed his mind. He knew that hybrids were created by forcibly fusing unwilling civilians with spiritual creatures. This wasn't just a monster; it was a victim.
'On the flip side, wouldn't the victim inside appreciate the opportunity to take down the owners of this lab itself?' Kain tried to justify to himself.
But as the hybrid met his eyes, Kain's resolve faltered. Was that truly sadness, or was he imagining it? His mind flashed to the captives described in earlier reports—their lives destroyed, turned into tools for others' gain. Would using this creature be any different than what the lab had done to it?
His jaw tightened. No. This wasn't right. Assuming that he knew what it wanted to simply continue using it as a weapon for himself, would make him no different from the researchers in this lab.
It's better to put it out of its misery.
Decision made and without consulting his allies he issued a command mentally to the Vespid guards. A few lined up outside of the cell, and proceeded to launch their stingers at the hybrid.
The creature thrashed violently, its claws raking the air and its tail slamming into the cell walls. But as the energy-draining effect of the lodged stingers took effect, its movements slowed.
It dropped to its knees, chest heaving, its feral snarls fading into weak, rasping breaths. The glowing eyes softened as it sagged forward, its enormous frame trembling under its weight.
Kain met its gaze one final time. The rage was gone, replaced by something quieter, almost peaceful. In the fading light of its eyes, he thought he saw a glimmer of thankfulness, faint but unmistakable. He knew that he had made the correct decision.
"Let's move," Serena urged, her voice cutting through the stillness.
Kain nodded, turning his attention back to Lina. "You okay?" During the time it took to kill the hybrid, she appeared to have been pretty much healed. There was a ton of blood on her uniform now, but she was no longer actively bleeding.
Lina nodded hesitantly, and Kain saw that, after a round of healing and being fed royal jelly, she didn't even have a scar remaining.
The trio pressed onward, and the sterile corridors gave way to a new section of the facility—dimly lit and lined with unmarked doors on either side. The faint sound of muffled breathing and the occasional shuffle of footsteps made it clear that they had entered the residential quarters for the facility's top personnel.
They crept along the hall, their footsteps light to not make any noise. Occasionally, the soft snore of a sleeper behind a closed door reassured them that the occupants were still unaware of their presence.
But not everyone was asleep.
Two doors opened as they passed, each revealing a figure stepping out. The first—a wiry man rubbing his eyes, clearly just awakened—never had a chance to process what was happening.
Kain surged forward, his blade piercing the researcher's chest in a swift, calculated motion while Kain's other hand covered the researcher's mouth. The man fell silently to the ground, his blood pooling on the pristine tiles.
The second figure—a woman clutching a steaming mug—managed a half-formed scream before Serena's blade arced through the air, silencing her. The two bodies were swiftly dragged back into their respective rooms, out of sight. Kain and Serena exchanged a glance but said nothing.
They pressed onward, reaching the end of the corridor without further incident. But just as Kain reached for the handle of the next door, a faint click echoed above them.
"Freeze," Serena hissed, her eyes darting to the ceiling. A small, nearly imperceptible sensor blinked to life—a red light flashing ominously.
"A pressure-sensitive panel," Kain realized aloud, his voice bitter. "Even the guards we killed didn't know about it. Dammit!"
Before they could react, a shrill alarm blared through the corridor, its deafening wail splitting the silence.