Chapter 593 - Second

Sitting across the low-faced Ava and unusually relaxed Nik, Phil looked at the report carefully. He had reports from the leader of the team employed the extract the lifeforms, who, instead of capturing lifeforms, had to hand over Black Cat to the Federal Government. In fact, Ava and Nik were given the task to write a report, too but considering the fact that only Ava looked slightly sleep-deprived, Phil gazed at Nik and inquired, "You did not write a report."

"Because I am not a full-fledged agent. I did learn the format to write an official report for the organization though."

"Will you clarify the doubts that I have so that I am able to answer to my superiors?" Phil and the duo were in their motel. If it wasn't for the extremely pleasant owner and her rather interesting accent, Nik would have decided to stay somewhere else. "Please, ask," Nik nodded and looked at the dim light settings in the room. 'Talk about getting a heavy feeling,' thinking internally, Nik gazed at Phil who looked back into the report and furrowed his brows. Pursing his lips as silence reigned in the room for a full minute before speaking up. "Let's begin with the most basic queries in my mind. Are you capable of teleporting?"

"Define teleportation," Nik questioned back, "Many abilities look same with distinct differences. Maybe, your definition of teleportation and mine is different. So, please be a little more specific. Instead of giving my abilities a term, why don't you inquire about the capabilities itself?" Nik suggested. After all, some may consider Shifting through space as Teleportation while Nik always considered teleportation to be appearing at the place one has visited before despite the distance. "Alright. Are you capable of moving through sealed places?"

"No," Nik shook his head. But as long as there existed space at a molecular level, he could probably shift through easily. "How were you able to snap that man's nerves? I mean to inquire, what capability of your enhancement allowed you to achieve such a result?"

"My understanding of the human body my ability to control the space around those nerves. Technically, that man still lives."

"Space, you say? Can you warp reality?"

"Hmm?" What does that even mean?" Nik tilted his head in confusion as Ava heard everything silently while Phil inquired, "Then what about those alien lifeforms? Ava reported that she heard you saying that you figured out what they are. And how did you... erase them?"

"Quite simple, really. I used to play a game where slime demons would cover human warriors and dissolve them while feeding on them. It usually begins from the liver, I don't know, maybe the acquired taste. As for how they disappeared, I continued to compress them until nothing remained." His explanations were far from perfect but when it came to his unexplained powers, Nik had greater leeway to pull things into his favor. "Did you find the third slime?" Nik inquired in return as Phil shook his head.

"We uncovered a set of footsteps but they led to nowhere. So, presently, we possibly have two alien lifeforms on the loose. From the data borrowed in the research facility, we have uncovered that these... parasites need living beings to survive and without any form of a host, they would die within eleven hours."

"So... mission accomplished?" Nik grinned as Ava's and Phil's expression turned bleak, "Oh, come on. We at least caught a thief, right? Super thief," Nik emphasized as Ava shook her head, "Felicity will simply share some information and escape again. This was her fourth break and she isn't our concern." Her words came as a pleasant surprise while Phil nodded, "Yes, we are supposed to deal with other levels of threats and now alien lifeforms have weaseled their way into the list. Director Fury is informed about the situation and he is sending another... trained team." Phil sighed. The true aim of the mission might possibly getting an insight into Nik but that seemed to have only opened a way to even greater mysteries than answers.

"That's nice. It's just the second day, so we can go sightseeing, right?" Nik stretched his hands with a tired expression and stood up, "What do you guys say? Want to join me?" Nik inquired as they both looked at each other before Phil shook his head alongside Ava. "Oh, okay," Nik waved his hand and walked out of Phil's room before making way towards his own room. 'Weren't you going out?' Lilith inquired as Nik shook his head. "That can wait." Clicking open his door, Nik covered the interior with a spatial lock that sealed everything aside from the sound and finally disappeared, entering the Dream Core.

Instead of the beautiful, cotton candy clouds that Sky took years to collect and cultivate, Nik found himself standing in front of the Harem castle filled with his sleeping beauties. It was constructed on the cliff to provide a beautiful view but instead of entering the place and getting himself disheartened by the fact that Tanya still is in her comatose state, Nik turned and looked further down the mountain. With everything aside from time, things didn't grow in this location so the living spirit beasts Nik had caught with the purpose of breeding could be seen sleeping in their own habitats. Finally, a little away from the castle, Nik had erected a humble hut with the nightmare demon pot placed within and the two... parasites sloshing there without any movement.

"Let's see," entering the hut, Nik gazed at the two puddles. Both of them were black but one of them held dull green streaks while the other one had light grey ones. "Asmodeus, these guys are perfect for your spirit ring. Their parasitic weaknesses can be destroyed once you convert them into spirit rings and... Nik focused a little, channeling his spirit energy and deploying one of the many support techniques learned from Nie Li, "And, from this one," pointing at the slime with green streaks, he stated, "You'll get the ability to copy the slightest of ability you devour. Only the slightest. Meanwhile, this one will allow you to turn your biomass into inorganic minerals."

"And if I get both of the spirit rings, will I get the chance to hang out with you?" Asmodeus inquired eagerly as Nik sat down and pondered. "At first, I thought the same. You can change your shape, cover my body and actually form the best bodysuit ever," Nik praised, "but if I want to use any of the two abilities, a spirit ring would appear undeniably and while it was the norm in the previous adventure, in this one, activation of spirit ring will only alert any and every opponent."

"Aww..." Asmodeus muttered, "Then... I'm still stuck here? Hey, wait a minute! You said if you use the extra abilities provided to you. But I already have these abilities when you formed my body, remember?" Asmodeus chimed, "And being personal abilities, they won't evoke a spirit ring! Lemme be your body armor! I swear I won't try to suck you off while wearing you!" She pleaded as Nik considered. It had been a disaster previously. "Then what about these two..." Nik looked at the two parasitic lifeforms before his eyes glimmered in excitement. "Got it!" he exclaimed.

Previously, he had been wanting to fuse two life forms to try and create... well, beast girls. But that project couldn't fly off with Sky inducing the probability of many failures but what about slime-like organisms? Without waiting, Nik covered the two slime-like organisms with his spiritual energy, lifted them up, opened the lid of the Fusion Pot, and threw the two of them unceremoniously. Since these two would provide valuable experience to Nik, he had no qualms in trying to fuse the both of them but not before grinning mischievously and taking three vials of his own blood and pouring them into the pot. Closing the lid, Nik activated the pot which hummed into life with its runes glowing a glimmer of deep grey.

"You are fusing them?" No active by the thought of accompanying Nik, Asmodeus inquired with glee as Nik nodded, "Yeah. Who knows, we might get a super slime... well, I added my blood, too. Let's see what can we get. I really hope that the functional cells don't collapse and cause their thought process to break apart. Nik muttered and waited while injecting his spiritual energy. The nightmare demon pot only worked under the effects of spiritual energy and with his reserves exponentially greater than his original body, Nik didn't require the assistance of his spirits and completed the fusion in the matter of a single hour.

"Let's see, let's see!" Nik sang and opened the lid with an excited expression. Since any living being aside from Sky, who enter this world would lose their consciousness, the newly formed pinkish blob of slime didn't move at all and required Nik to take it out. Carefully touching its surface, Nik closed his eyes and began inspecting the construct of the new being. 'Hmm... the hive network those previous parasites were connected to is dissolved. My blood being the reason so... this one is connected to me. Hmm? Though process, intact. Renewed, in fact. The mold is durable. Hmm... ohhh... woah!' Nik's expression changed wildly. "Sky!" Nik called out loudly. Instantly, in a hazy violet mist, a cute palm-sized bat flapped out and sat on top of Nik's head while looking at the pink-white blob curiously. "I was watching the fusion. What's up?" She inquired while sniffing the air slightly. She missed the sweet wing created by the dream clouds.

"This parasite is another l.u.s.t apostle!" Nik grinned, "I ain't alone, girl. And the best part is, this parasite can act as a permanent medium for me to share my bloodline with Mitsuko and others!" Nik stated. L.u.s.t Apostle was already quite highly evolved bloodline and due to its unique nature of not being biased towards the various genders, in some way, better than the equally-tiered bloodline of succubus and Incubus. "And, not only that, if they actually fuse with the medium, they'll have an Asmodeus equivalent protecting them. Too bad that with my blood, this guy lost its ability to take upon the skills of other beings... Ah," Nik exclaimed as he finally completed the analysis, "False alarm... I can't share it unless they are l.u.s.t apostles in the first place or they'll die..."

"Ugh," rolling her eyes, Sky disappeared while Nik sat down with a despondent gaze. "But at least this is a step forward. I am still not the best when it comes to bloodline..." Nik muttered. But still, the fact that he wasn't the single one of his species strangely brought him great joy. The slime, in fact, did not have a gender but if it latches to anyone, they'll go crazy because... well, the newly formed slime was a ball of intergalactic aphrodisiac. "But... bloodline and physique are really different after all. This guy is a l.u.s.t apostle but still a slime. I, too, am a l.u.s.t apostle but... well, human enough. Asmodeus, change of plans. I'll try wearing this guy since I can resist it."

"Aww! Damn! That's not fair!" Asmodeus squealed in anger.

Meanwhile.

*Happy Lilith Noises.*

---

"Eddie," an eldritch voice echoes as Eddie Brock gazed at his body, pitch black with silverish streaks running across. "Fear us not, Eddie! We are—"

"Stop!" The blonde man within his motel room panicked and shouted. "Leave me alone! Just get out!" Before Eddie could continue, his hands swung forward, grabbing a fistful of frozen chicken nuggets and stuffing them into his mouth oh so reluctantly. "Not fresh," The voice echoed. "We need food, Eddie! We need to live. Or else, our body will collapse." The voice persuaded but sending Eddie's reluctance, the eldritch horror latched onto Eddie moved his body anyway.

"It is time to feast, Eddie! We have been denied for too long!"

Meanwhile, under the Federal Government's lockdown, a white-haired woman gazed at a young man in a sober suit. His hair done well and his gaze unmoved by the glaring seduction that Black Cat was.

"I will work for your employer. Kingpin, was it?" She inquired while placing her hands on the table, still shackled.

"He is indeed called by such a title." The man opposite to Felicity nodded.

"Hmm, then, for payment, I want information on someone named Vanish alongside monetary delights, too," she winked as the man nodded and looked towards the one-sided glass behind Felicity and gestured with his hand. Instantly, a person walked into the interrogation room and uncuffed Felicity, making her m.o.a.n in delight. "Finally!" She squeaked, "These cuffs are simply primitive in their structure! Too hurting, in fact!"