No matter how much Cedric struggled, he couldn't free himself from the ropes bounding him, and so all he could do was thrash up and down the same spot where he lay.

By now, most of his form was already beginning to change. Rows of large, dirty teeth had begun growing again in the gums and roof of his mouth, and his skin had started to turn a waxy, sickly gray.

Even his ribcage was warping, pushing outward against his skin as if his internal structure was being rapidly rebuilt by the parasite.

The others could do nothing but stare at the evolving horror. Evelyn was holding Celeste, trying to shield her from the sight, while the remaining members paced up and down in frustration as they waited for Aika and Ino to return.

Julius turned to Dion, who was chewing his lip while pacing, then asked, "How long before they get back?"

Dion glanced at Julius and replied, "I just spoke to her. She said they are really close."

Meanwhile, Celeste looked up at Evelyn, her voice trembling as she asked, "Is it really going to work?"

Evelyn nodded. "Yes. Don't worry. If his bond said it's going to work, then it's going to work."

However, her voice failed to hide a tremor of uncertainty.

Aika had previously informed them of Cedric's desperate decision to use a lethal poison to expel the Huskfly from his body. Despite the cruelty of the solution, the others didn't object, as they did not have any viable alternative; hence, Aika had left with Ino during the night to find and prepare something potent enough to chase the parasite without instantly killing Cedric.

A few more minutes passed, and then… Aika and Ino finally returned.

Everyone let out a collective, audible breath of relief as they saw the two exhausted figures hauling themselves up towards the rocky ledge where they were gathered. Aika held in one hand a small, clear vial that was filled with something black and viscous.

When they two girls reached the others, Aika ran past them to Cedric who was trashing violently on the ground and screeching like an insect with his mouth wide open.

She dropped beside him, yanked his head back, and immediately upended the vial, emptying the entirety of the viscous, black contents into his mouth.

Then she scrambled back just in time as Cedric snapped his head toward her, his jaws snapping shut where her hand had been.

A foul, pungent odor instantly filled the air, announcing the poison's nature.

"What is that?" Dion asked, turning to Ino, who had stopped beside him and was now fighting for air.

With her gaze fixed on Cedric, she replied, "Trust me, you really don't want to know."

At that moment, Cedric's screeching grew worse and his thrashing grew more frenzied and uncontrolled. He shook his head violently from side to side, and he began gurgling and coughing up a dark, viscous mixture of blood and the black liquid poison.

This continued for more than a minute, and then the section of his chest that was bulging like a ball slowly began to slowly creep upward. It crawled past his collarbone and throat, and when it reached his neck, the neck swelled up until the skin looked ready to burst.

Then, in the next instant, a large Huskfly, the size of a large fist, began to violently pull itself out of Cedric's mouth. When it fully emerged, it flapped its wings and began to fly.

However, right as it took off, Aika pulled out her wakizashi from her shadow and immediately sliced the Huskfly cleanly in two, sending both halves scattering.

[EXP: +100]

At this point, Cedric was already rapidly succumbing to the poison. He lay on the ground with his body now violently convulsing in terrible spasms.

Aika immediately dropped her sword, reached into her inventory, and pulled out a Health Elixir.

But just before she could even uncork it, Evelyn grabbed her wrist and spoke urgently. "Let me heal him. It'll be faster."

When Aika turned to her, Evelyn immediately clarified, "My bonded ability can also be used to heal."

Aika glanced down at her hand, where Evelyn's fingers were clamped tight. Then she gave a sharp nod.

Evelyn wasted no time. She raised Aika's hand, her fangs descending as she bit into the skin, causing Aika to wince sharply before Evelyn began drinking her blood in deep, desperate gulps.

Then after only a few seconds, she released Aika, wiping the blood from her mouth with the back of her wrist. She dropped onto the ground beside Cedric and bit her own arm, causing her blood to flow in thick, scarlet rivulets.

She held her bleeding hand to Cedric's mouth and began feeding him her blood.

While this was happening, Cedric's body slowly began to return to its normal form. The unnatural teeth that had grown in his mouth began to disappear, and his skin that was now a sickly gray began to regain its healthy, natural tone.

Before long, the convulsions ceased entirely, and his body slumped, healed, but utterly exhausted.

Evelyn looked up to Aika, who was watching with fearful anticipation. She offered a small, tired smile and said, "He should be fine now. He'll wake…"

She was still speaking when she suddenly wavered and tilted dangerously.

Seeing her sudden dizziness, Celeste frowned and asked, "Are you okay?"

Evelyn lifted a hand to her temple, nodding weakly to Celeste. "Yeah… I'm…"

In the very next second, her eyes rolled back, and she dropped abruptly into unconsciousness, her body falling sideways.

However, before she could hit the ground, Julius lunged forward and caught her seamlessly, sweeping her close to his chest.

"Wh-what's happening?" Celeste asked, her voice tight with panic, as she dropped immediately beside him.

Julius met her frantic gaze, then looked sharply at the others, who stood frozen in a circle, visibly taken aback by the sudden collapse. He then quickly spoke in a low voice. "She's fine. She just needs to rest."

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