Paradigm Parasite

Chapter 108: "Sisters"

[Other Pov]

Lorena felt cold sweat running down her back as she heard her sisters' footsteps moving away from her.

The shadow in front of her was a veritable monster.

The scene she had seen just a few moments before came back to her.

Sensing something was wrong, Lorena immediately went downstairs and saw a nightmarish scene.

Two shadows were slaughtering their friends and customers one after another.

When one shadow held out its hand, the whole body of one of her companions was twisted and severed.

When the other shadow wields a weapon, her companions are blown away and become stains on the walls.

It is a literal massacre without regard to the guests begging for their lives.

The thought of helping them never occurred to me. It was obvious that I would be killed if I went in there.

Thanks to them, I knew how they fought. They are neatly divided into vanguard and rear guard.

The one in front of me is the vanguard. Compared to the shadows of the rear guard, it was relatively easy.

The abilities implanted in me should not be incompatible.

I see my feet stamping on the ground and I remember.

Helga, Elisa... my precious family. I think of them.

Lorena. There must have been a family name and one more, but I can't remember it.

She was born an ordinary farm girl, but when she was four years old, her village was attacked by bandits and destroyed.

Her parents and almost all the villagers were killed, and the survivors were kidnapped, including her.

On her way to the bandits' stronghold, she seized an opportunity to escape, but there was no way she could escape on child's legs, and she was easily caught and had her legs chopped off as punishment for escaping .......

It was the moment when my life changed in the worst possible way.

The consequences for the villagers who were caught after that were disastrous.

It would have been better if they had only been sold.

Compared to their friends who were not treated properly, such as being made into comfort women or used as food for monsters...but still.

It was at that time that I met Helga, who would later become our sister.

She was our sister. She was strong and kind.

She won the trust of the men she was working with, and then, when the opportunity arose, she won her freedom that day.

They poisoned the men's food.

The poison was prepared by Elisa, who had just met the men at the time and was familiar with wild plants.

The two killed the bandits when their numbers were at their lowest, and then killed them after the poison had crippled them.

They escaped with the captive girls.

But the girls had nowhere to return to... and their bodies, which had been exposed to the poor environment for a long time, were worn out more than they had imagined.

One by one, they collapsed from hunger and exhaustion.

But that was not the only threat.

Monsters.

Everyone at the time, who had almost no combat skills, had no way to fight them, and even against goblins they had no choice but to flee.

If caught, an even harsher fate awaited them than when they were prisoners.

After wandering around with their numbers dwindling, only a few, including the three of them, made it to the royal capital.

Even after reaching the royal capital, the harsh fate continues.

This world is harsh on the have-nots.

No one was kind enough to lend a helping hand to the battered women and children, and Helga and several others began a life of selling their bodies to make ends meet.

After entering the capital, they managed to build a humble house in the favela and started their life, but it did not last long.

Disease.

Although their health had improved somewhat, the girls, who were in poor health, were easily taken by disease.

The disease could have been cured with no problem if they went to a sanatorium, but they had no money to pay for it, and they could only wait for death without getting any customers, but then the moment of change came for the second time.

A young girl, not much older than themselves, appeared.

Her name was Jelchi.

Jelchi is looking for a subordinate. She offered to help them if they would work for her.

She joined an organization called Darzain and apparently needed the forces at her disposal to establish her position.

Left with no choice, the children, including myself, cried and begged.

She asked them to help our sister.

Jelch nodded with a smile.

After that it was quick.

She arranged for someone from somewhere to save them and feed them.

After receiving medical treatment, the sisters recovered quickly and began their lives as Jelchi's servants.

They were given the marks necessary for the ceremony to enter Darzain, and they went through a grueling period of training.

I didn't participate at the time because I didn't have legs to stand on, but all I felt was an itch in my chest.

That's why I asked Jelchi.

I asked her to give me legs.

She was reluctant.

She said that the success rate of transplants is not so high and that I might die.

I immediately said, "I don't care. I couldn't bear to go on living like this without doing anything.

Gerch reluctantly agreed to the proposal.

The transplant itself was not difficult, since the part that was originally missing was added, and the new leg managed to settle into place.

After that, it took a tremendous amount of training and time to get used to the new leg.

Especially immediately after the transplant, I could not even eat due to the foreign body sensation and extreme pain, and even if I forced myself to eat, I ended up vomiting.

Thus, I succeeded in getting a new leg as "the first floor--the second part mono ji," and I was excited to be able to help my sisters with this.

Around that time? I began to look up to Jelchi as an older sister along with Helga.

It took me more time to master the ability to use my legs, but it was not that difficult when I thought about the time when I could walk.

The ability of "legs" is to strengthen power and to be able to step on space, respectively.

These two abilities boosted my inferior physical abilities and skills, and I was able to pick up victories even in battles with superior opponents.

However, would this really work against the shadow in front of me?

The shadow's gaze was not on me, but on my sisters who had fled.

So you are saying that I am not your concern....

Don't you dare underestimate me! With that in mind, I kicked at the ground.

In one breath, I broke the gap and jumped up, kicking the sky, pretending to slash at their legs.

At the very least, I should have been able to hit him in the chest.

Cut off his head, pretending to aim at his leg.

If successful, it would be over, but if unsuccessful, it would be an instant death sword that would never work on the same opponent twice.

But he caught it with the back of his hand.

Even if I push it in, I can't cut it off. From the response, I wondered if he was wearing a cuirass or something.

I failed.

I clicked my tongue inwardly and backed away. If so, I should disturb it with my speed....

"I see. So you're proud of your legs."

The shadow mutters and points its empty arm at me.

Is it magic? I thought so, and braced myself.

I thought I heard a sound of the wind blowing, and then one of my legs disappeared.

"Eh..."

As soon as I realized it, I felt an intense pain that pushed me up.

I didn't know what had been done to me.

But I still had one leg....

"G....gi..."

My body was crushed by something invisible. I couldn't stand up.

It is heavy...what is this?

I gathered all my strength and looked up to see that the shadow was holding my leg, which had been cut off before I knew it.

Give it back...it's to protect my sisters.

It's not something that a stranger like you should be so careless with....

Impact. The rest of my leg was cut off.

"Ah...is..."

My leg... my leg... Give it back... give it back.

I can't go home without it. I need it to get back to Helga and Elisa.

Give it back.

"G...give it back..."

I can't speak because my chest is crushed.

I still had to strain to speak out.

"Ka...se..."

The shadow comes up to me and takes one look at me.

It silently raises its leg. I think to myself.

Helga sister....

The black shadow that filled my field of vision was approaching...impacting me.

I can only pray now, but please give my sisters good luck....

That was the last thing I thought.

[Mc Pov]

The woman's head, which had been sprawled at my feet with a crumpled mess, shatters. Next, the explosion dissipates.

I release the new magic I was using, [Heavy Pressure] Pressure.

This is a magic arranged from the ability I took from Rick, but it's harder to use than I thought.

It activates slowly, so it only hits stationary opponents.

If I want to use this magic, it is better to use it in a narrow space.

There is no escape route, so it is easy to hit.

Well, it's not as good as [Explosion]. If I must use it, it is difficult to employ it unless I reproduce the whole organ.

Now, the woman's leg that I just finished off is the same part as the one mentioned above, and from the looks of its abilities, it has an effect similar to speed enhancement and wind system magic?

She was kicking in the air and changing her posture, so she probably didn't miss.

But still....

She said something before she died, but what was it?

I thought about it, but was convinced that she was probably begging for her life or something.

Well, let's go after those who ran away.

I absorbed the legs I'd taken and went after the escapees.

"Sister Gelch!"

I, Elisa, kicked down the door and ran into Sister Jelchi's room.

She was wearing light armor under her robe and had her equipment in place.

The other girls who had come to ask for instructions were also with her.

"Helga, what's the situation?"

"Yes. There are two enemies. They seem to be using a tool to block recognition, so we don't know who they are. We think it might be Vertex and his friends."

"Do you think we can win?"

She shook her head sadly.

"The kids who went out to intercept on the first floor are already... And one of them has already reached the lower level. Lorena is holding them off now, but she won't be able to hold them off much longer."

She clicked her tongue and threw the dagger to the corner of the room.

The dagger didn't penetrate the wall, but hit something.

Then suddenly, a dead monster falls to the floor from nothing.

"What is this, sister?"

Jelch ignores my question and approaches the carcass of the monster.

I think it's a monster that lives in a cave or something like that... Terra?

"He didn't come here...?"

I heard her mutter something like that, but I couldn't understand what she meant.

Sister Jelchi activated a device hidden under her desk.

The walls shook slightly.

"Helga. Do you understand? Take them all with you."

"Can you win ......?"

Helga's voice is firm.

Jelchi laughed.

"If it's not Vertex, we should be able to handle it. Maybe that's why he's not coming up, because he's holding up the entrances and exits on the bottom. I thought about attacking him, but I wouldn't do that because it would be a big gamble. Let's retreat and get into position here. Worst case scenario, we could consider leaving here until Guardio returns."

Sister Jelchi looks sternly out the door.

Footsteps echo from a short distance away. The sound is heavy.

He's coming up. That means she's already....

Lorena....

She also seemed to have guessed it, and her expression was heavy.

"I'm going to go after the guy who's coming, probably someone named Law, after I kill him, i'm going to go after you."

"I understand. Jelchi. Please be safe."

"Just go."

She nodded and urged everyone to go through the wall.

This is an emergency escape route that only a few people know about.

Thanks to a magic stone placed in the wall, an illusion is activated, making it appear as if the wall is still there even after it has been opened.

...I'm .......

"Elisa. Don't look so worried, go ahead."

Jelchi tapped me on the shoulder with a wry smile on her face.

"Sister ......."

"There is no way I'm going to lose, is there? All right, just go, move along."

She wouldn't let me ask her to run away with me.

My sister is strong. At least I had never seen her lose, but there was something about that shadow that still made me uneasy.

I was pushed into the hidden passageway by Jelchi and followed the others who had gone on ahead of me.