Savage Beasts Who Obey Their Desires

Conrad's sanity had not been lost; the existence of the Demon Seed was like a switch, one that would open the floodgates of suppressed emotions.

It was like a repressed person finally tasting the forbidden fruit, indulging in a wild, unbridled spree.

"What's wrong? Are you sick?" Baby-5 asked, touching Conrad's face with concern, using her soft, pale arms to wipe away the smears of blood.

She didn't dare touch his eyes, fearing she might damage them, yet the eyes seemed to be the most severely affected part.

Those two bright black pupils she never tired of looking at, along with the whites of his eyes, had turned completely crimson, saturated with blood.

Conrad's fingers dug into Baby-5's arm, his grip tightening involuntarily until he pierced the ulna, forcing crimson blood from her fair skin. He muttered to himself, "I only need to snap one arm! Just one will satisfy the craving! Then I'll be fine!"

Baby-5 didn't understand, but she neither asked nor resisted, her right hand continuing to wipe the bloodstains from Conrad's face.

It was just an arm; she didn't care. If one was snapped, there was still another. She could still do chores just the same.

Conrad's breathing was as heavy as a bellows, and a voice whispered in his ear: Stop being a wimp! Kill her! True powerhouses are nothing but savage beasts who obey their desires!

You are fated to be heartless, you bastard! To you, slaughter and bloodshed should be as simple as breathing!

During his early years, when Conrad was frequently locked in the "dark room," he had grown accustomed to talking to himself.

It was like writing a diary; the voice in his mind would constantly narrate. Even when he sat there motionless, that voice would seek out roleplay to keep him from descending into autism.

Over time, an inner demon was born, but his willpower was formidable, and for ninety percent of the time, it could not interfere with his actions.

But for the remaining ten percent, it would cause disturbances.

Years ago, after nearly killing a childhood companion, Conrad realized something was wrong and voluntarily entered the dark room to suppress the inner demon.

It took sixteen days for him to master the "Infinite Vibration Zen," bringing his heart to a state of absolute stillness, before he struck his own glabella with a violent punch, leaving the inner demon on the verge of death.

Just as he was about to finish it off, the inner demon suddenly wailed, "You claim to be a hegemon, yet you dare not keep me! Refine me into a Hell War God!"

Conrad was no coward; why would he fear it? Furthermore, having suddenly glimpsed a new path in martial arts, he was greatly tempted.

He used the Heart-Freezing Art to refine the inner demon into a Demon Seed, suppressing it within his brain to absorb his negative emotions.

For ten years, the Demon Seed had been kept so suppressed by his righteous aura that it couldn't even lift its head, let alone catch its breath.

But under the accumulation of rage, its resentment had soared to the heavens.

Now, finally liberated for a night, it was fighting back with everything it had.

Conrad's side was charred from a rocket blast, and although his awakened Armament Black Face had resisted Daz's Spiral Draw Slash, the impact had left him with a mild concussion.

He stared at Baby-5, the addiction to slaughter melting into his blood, surging through his veins and twitching his arms.

His blood-red hair seemed to become straws sucking at the life force, rising naturally and approaching Baby-5 like a needle-web.

BOOM!

Conrad suddenly slammed onto the ground, legs crossed, steam rising from his forehead.

"What's wrong?" Baby-5 grew anxious, leaning toward Conrad and waving her pale, flushed arms as she smiled comfortingly, "It's okay, go ahead and snap it!"

Conrad closed his eyes to focus, legs crossed and arms spread to his sides, clenching his fists to tense his muscles in the stance of Infinite Vibration Zen.

He pushed his heart to the point of absolute stillness, intending to imitate the past and gather his strength for a single punch to suppress the Demon Seed.

But this time, his heart would not be still.

Immersing his consciousness, he did not see a bamboo forest or a green lake, but the icy lake that had nearly drowned him that night.

Conrad took a deep breath, ignoring everything; even if he couldn't suppress it, he had to knock himself out. His right hand, shaped into a blade, rose in a thunderous arc, slashing violently toward the back of his own neck.

"YEAH!" A shrill scream echoed in his ears.

BANG!

Conrad's right arm suddenly burst with veins and blood vessels, blood spraying like a mist. His muscle strength vanished, and his arm hung limply against his shoulder.

He had absorbed too much bloody life force, and combined with the Great Ominous Constellation and the ten years of negative emotions released by the Demon Seed, the darkness had gained the upper hand.

It was truly, genuinely affecting his actions now.

"Baby-5," he squeezed the words through his teeth, "you go first. Find Kujaku; I'll join you after I rest for a while."

"Do you think I'm stupid? You all think I'm stupid," Baby-5 sobbed.

Conrad froze. He opened his eyes to see the girl biting her red lip, tears rolling down her cheeks.

His heart was in turmoil, and he sighed, "My time has come."

"Speak like a human!" Baby-5 threw herself onto Conrad's chest, "I don't understand!"

Conrad closed his eyes and said, "After today, this demonic nature will be impossible to erase. I fear I shall become a scourge upon the world, and for the sake of the living, I must be purged..."

Baby-5 shook her head, "I don't care. Wherever you go, I go. Whatever you do, I do..."

"I care!" Conrad suddenly opened his eyes, his left fist shaking the ground as he shouted with a booming voice, "I, Conrad, have walked a straight path my entire life! I have never done anything to shame my conscience! And I refuse to do so in the future! If I become a walking corpse, how is that different from being dead? Better to end it now..."

He glared at Baby-5, his left hand tearing open the rags on his chest, pointing at his heart, "I command you! Bleed me!"

Baby-5 suffered a violent internal struggle; she did not want to refuse Conrad's order, and her right hand instantly transformed into a sharp blade.

"DO IT!" Conrad's Black Face roared.

Baby-5 was startled, her right arm instinctively thrusting forward, but just as the blade was about to pierce him, she leaped backward with all her might, shaking her head as tears streamed down her face. "I... I can't do it."

Swish!

The next second, blood-needle hair lashed out in front of Baby-5, writhing like snakes.

Conrad's smile had turned ferocious, the Ten Thousand Mile Slaughter radiating a bloody light, while the Demon Seed stimulated his blood, causing bulging veins to crawl all over his body.

Yet, he still suppressed the addiction, maintaining absolute clarity; his will would not collapse until he completely lost consciousness.

But once he fell asleep, his body would likely be taken over, much like the white horse Prince named Cavendish in the Grand Line.

"If you won't strike and you won't leave, acting all wishy-washy, what exactly do you want?" Conrad's long hair writhed as he steeled his heart and threatened, "If you don't strike again, I will kill you!"

Amidst the devastated streets and alleys, Baby-5 heard these words, but instead of showing a shred of fear, she smiled shyly and, facing the snake-like, blood-sucking hair, lunged once more into Conrad's arms.

She cupped Conrad's vein-popping, darkened face and said, "If you want to kill me, then kill me. As long as it's useful to you, that's all that matters."

The decision to hurt others was too difficult; it was easier to hurt herself.

With that, Baby-5 fiercely kissed Conrad's lips, using every ounce of her strength.

Although it was her first kiss, there was no tentativeness; it was incredibly forceful, and she could clearly feel the sensation of teeth, like a cat eating meat for the first time, chewing through bone.

Who was Conrad? He had seen all kinds of situations; a mere first kiss could not shake his iron-willed mind, though his face felt a bit hot and his heart was beating a little fast.

Even though the Demon Seed had stimulated all his blood, the feeling of his heart racing and his face flushing was still crystal clear.

Baby-5 slowly pulled away, lifted her flushed face, and stroked Conrad's bloodshot eye sockets.

"I don't understand what you're saying, and no matter what you become, I just want to live with you. You're such a good person, how could you ever become a villain and bring disaster to the world? I don't believe it."

Conrad suddenly stood up, turned his back, and while scratching his head, gazed at the bright moon in the sky with reddened ears, saying, "I suppose so, haha..."