## Chapter 272 – Counterattack (23)
“To lay a hand on her, I thought Kazunomiya had really gone too far…
But this seems completely different?”
Hye-ryung’s eyes were fixed on the black tattoo, shaped like a flower, etched on Yui’s lower back.
As if finally realizing something, Yui gasped, remembering the Nemea implanted in her body.
The sticky, black, amorphous creature she had received as a “gift” not long ago.
It had burrowed into Yui’s flesh, carving out a space on her hip and lower back, becoming a tattoo that resembled a blooming flower, accentuating her physical beauty.
Accustomed to the customs of Chao Xing, she had been somewhat uncomfortable with the idea of being touched…
It had only been a few weeks since she had reluctantly accepted it, persuaded that it was something important.
But wasn’t it thanks to this that she had fewer injuries than Eloise?
It sensed danger through her fear, automatically wrapping around her body to protect her from attacks and debris.
“Th-that’s just…”
However, since it ultimately came from Enic, Yui couldn’t reveal its true nature.
She immediately tried to make excuses to Hye-ryung.
But Hye-ryung, as if to show she wasn’t an easy opponent, lightly stroked the tattoo with her fingertips, narrowing her eyes.
“That’s not just a tattoo, is it?
It’s not even your skin, is it?”
Anyone else might have thought it was a normal tattoo, but Hye-ryung was a medical specialist.
Had she been subtly trying to discern what it was while pretending to wash away her poison?
Yui’s eyes darted around as she remembered Hye-ryung pouring more water on her lower back and frequently stroking that area.
“L-let… let go… Ugh…!!”
“Don’t move, Kazunomiya.
A long time ago… a long time ago…
There was a rumor…”
Hye-ryung bent Yui’s arm as if to break the joint, pinning her to the ground, and sighed in a low voice.
Yui’s breath trembled slightly at her words.
“About that incident from the past. Yes, that one.
You were supposedly rescued…
But some people were saying…?”
“That you were Enic’s breeding stock.
That your body was completely modified for Enic.
That you were an individual who would eventually bear his seed…
Then… could this be related to that?”
“Th-that’s…!!
I’m not some kind of experiment…
Augh… Aah… Let me go…!!”
“This organ… it’s not human…
It’s never been seen in any mutant before.
And it’s left on you, who was kidnapped by Enic.”
The boundary where the Nemea had burrowed in and was disguised as skin.
As Hye-ryung carefully dug her fingers into that spot to extract the Nemea, the Nemea sensed the abnormality and began to churn and bubble.
“Really? This is something different from you… something separate…
There hasn’t even been a report of anything like this in academia?
Stay still, Kazunomiya. I’ll take it out… Ugh…!!”
But just as she was about to calmly grab the Nemea, sticky tentacles shot out from the tattoo, wrapping around Hye-ryung’s hand as she tried to separate it from Yui.
“Ugh… Ah… Aaugh…!!
Wait… Ugh… Strength… Aaaack!!”
The intense pressure, reminiscent of a press, caused Hye-ryung’s hand to cramp, losing its grip.
“Ah… No… Stop…”
As its role was to protect its host, Yui, the Nemea showed no mercy in its attack on Hye-ryung, who it had identified as an intruder and attacker.
As the Nemea tightened as if to crush her arm, Hye-ryung’s other arm, which had been restraining Yui, naturally lost its strength as well.
Not missing the opportunity, Yui twisted her body and stood up, grabbing the Nemea that was emerging from her lower back and holding onto Hye-ryung, shouting loudly.
“Stop it…!! Don’t attack…!!”
Perhaps it was only then that she began to understand the situation, hearing her urgent words.
The Nemea slowly released Hye-ryung’s arm, slithering back into the tattoo and returning to its original form.
“Haa… Haaa…”
“Hiss… Hoo… Haa…”
They were back where they started, but only Yui and Hye-ryung, exhausted, remained in that moment.
“Kazunomiya…!!”
Hye-ryung, as if unable to accept it, immediately lunged at Yui again, climbing on top of her as if to pin her down once more.
As she began to choke Yui, Yui, lacking strength, could only weakly grab Hye-ryung’s wrist and shake it, gasping for breath.
Perhaps it was fortunate that Hye-ryung’s hand was already weakened from the previous situation.
“What is that thing…? I’ve never seen a creature like that before…!!
You better explain it, Kazunomiya…!!
This might not just be a problem between you and me anymore…!!”
There were countless types of monsters.
But among them, the types of monsters that could exist within this safe zone were limited.
What if a monster that could harm humans at any time entered the safe zone?
And what if it even reproduced and increased in number?
That would be a disaster, so the state often reviewed the import of specific monsters.
Even the Arachnella used in the special evaluation would not have passed the review if the academy had not been able to guarantee that it could be controlled with its authority.
And in general, importing a monster without going through such a long and detailed review process was punishable by severe penalties.
And at least those who worked in this field could not fail to distinguish between such a monster and one that was not.
“Why are you living in symbiosis with something like that…?
Or… is it parasitism…?
What is its ecology? What is its purpose?
Why have you kept this hidden…!!”
Capable of killing humans, and in some cases, displaying such violence.
And a new type of monster that had never been reported before.
Hye-ryung’s eyes, as she looked at Yui, who was harboring such a thing in her body, unknowingly contained the urgency within her heart.
“… Tell me…!! Quickly!!”
“Ugh… Hye… Ryung…”
Yui could only call out her name in a hoarse voice, barely audible due to the choking grip, but Hye-ryung’s hand showed no signs of loosening.
It must have been a situation that even the daughter of the Tang Clan would find difficult to handle rationally, a situation that would make her extremely nervous.
But at that moment.
Hye-ryung was thrown off Yui’s body by something hitting her from the side, and she tumbled sideways onto the wet floor of the bathing facility.
“Yui…!!”
Carla’s figure, with a surprised expression and full of panic, supporting Yui, who was gasping for breath, was reflected in Yui’s blurred vision.
“What are you doing…!?
What are you doing to Yui…!!”
Her eyes turned to the side, glaring at Hye-ryung, who was raising her upper body while still lying on the floor, her body and clothes partially wet.
“Miss…!! Get away from her!!
That’s dangerous right now…!!”
“Were you planning to kill Yui…?
Is that why… you called Yui out…?”
“No… Kazunomiya is in danger right now…!!”
Carla’s eyes, so sharp that they seemed to pierce Hye-ryung’s eyes, were so unlike what she would normally show.
As if she couldn’t believe the current situation.
And Carla, glaring fiercely at Hye-ryung as if she could no longer trust her, took a towel from the wall, handed it to Yui, and slowly helped her up.
“I won’t let you make Yui like those people you killed…”
Perhaps she was still shocked by Hye-ryung’s actions earlier.
Even though it was for their own good.
Nevertheless, the fear of someone who could easily kill people and the difference in each person’s unique beliefs might have been something like that.
It might not have been something that could be easily overcome.
“Miss…”
“Maybe… there’s a reason I don’t know…
There might be something like that…
But still, Yui is my friend…”
With those few words, Carla turned around and left the bathroom with Yui, who she was supporting.
On the wet floor where water was still flowing from the hose.
Hye-ryung stood there like a stone statue, dripping water from her hair and clothes, wondering what she was thinking so deeply.
Her eyes, as she knelt on the floor with the water rising slightly, watching their retreating figures, were gradually sinking into an unfathomable abyss.
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