Picking up the severed tentacle, Allen watched with interest as the seemingly self-aware thing continuously wrapped itself around his arm. It even tried to sink its sharp teeth and spikes into his skin, intending to burrow into his body.
Unfortunately, it had clearly underestimated the toughness of Allen's skin, as well as the immense life energy surrounding his body.
After struggling for quite a while, it failed not only to enter his body, but even to break through the outermost layer of life energy. Instead, the backlash left it riddled with holes, and it eventually turned into a pile of purplish-red rotten flesh.
Without question, this thing did not possess much intelligence. It lacked even the most basic self-preservation instinct and could not distinguish between strong and weak enemies. It simply wanted to consume more "food" or endlessly replicate itself.
"What the hell is this disgusting thing?" Sophia's tone was filled with undisguised revulsion.
"Hmm... I think it was some sort of special ability unconsciously developed through life energy by an Awakened Being or a Yoma. It has no subjective consciousness and merely reproduces through parasitism, thereby achieving a state of so-called immortality," Allen explained meaningfully.
It had to be said, if this thing made of life energy and cells had to be classified, it should be considered a Nen ability derived from the instinct to survive.
Based on his deduction, a Yoma or Awakened Being who had mastered life energy must have realized, when facing a strong enemy, that they were about to be killed. That gave rise to an overwhelming desire to survive at all costs.
In the end, life energy responded to that desire, causing their cells or part of their organs to mutate and gain the ability to endlessly replicate and parasitize, much like cancer cells.