The Final Blow
The entire sequence—from Zhao Xuan tossing the acid, Shimada breaking the bottle and being drenched, to Zhao Xuan tackling him and plunging the steel table leg into his chest—transpired in mere seconds.
Even Migi, whose will had wavered, was too late to react until Zhao Xuan's blade had pierced Shimada's heart.
"Hu-Human...?" Shimada, his heart pierced and blood gushing out, was stunned that a mere human had managed to strike him down.
In a furious, final surge of energy, Shimada's thick tentacle lashed out in a desperate arc, the sharp blade aimed for Zhao Xuan's back. "You... die too...!" Shimada tried to drag Zhao Xuan into death with him.
Zhao Xuan, however, was at his absolute limit. He had used the [Lesser Adrenaline Potion] just before the attack, completely depleting his strength to ensure the critical strike. The 10-second duration had expired instantly, and a wave of intense fatigue washed over him. His body felt heavy and sore, his mind grew sluggish, and he failed to register the Parasyte's final counterattack.
At that critical moment, Migi reacted, unleashing a full-power strike that severed Shimada's attacking tentacle, snatching Zhao Xuan back from the brink of death.
"I never... thought... I would... fall... at the hands... of a human..." Shimada's grotesque head emitted its final, fading words before it rapidly shriveled, lost vitality, and became completely still.
The Parasyte, already severely weakened by two exposures to acid, the prolonged fight, and now the death of its host, quickly expired.
Zhao Xuan, completely exhausted, collapsed to the floor and passed out.
Reiko Tamura's Arrival
Relieved by Shimada's death, Shinichi Izumi saw his own life-threatening injury: his left shoulder was impaled and bleeding heavily. Migi decisively burrowed into the wound and used Parasyte cells to staunch the bleeding.
"That's incredible!" Migi exclaimed. "A mere human was able to kill one of my kind!" Izumi, pale and lying on the ground, agreed, "We almost died at Shimada's hands. It was his surprise attack that took Shimada down."
Just as they were speaking, the sharp sound of approaching heels echoed in the empty hallway: "Clack! Clack! Clack!"
"Trouble! It's Reiko Tamura!" Migi gasped, transforming into a sharp blade and tensing up. "I was careless, I was so focused on the fight that I forgot about her! Shinichi, be careful, her presence carries intense killing intent!"
Izumi struggled to his feet, staring intently at the corner. Reiko Tamura, wearing a white lab coat and an expressionless face, appeared.
"Huh? Her killing intent is gone?" Migi wondered.
Tamura looked at Shimada's corpse, then at Izumi and Migi. "Well done," she said. "That idiot Shimada caused such trouble! I hate troublemakers among our kind. Since you killed him, it saves me the effort... but..."
Tamura walked toward Shimada's body. "Considering Shimada's strength... that you, an incomplete Parasyte, could defeat him, you truly are unusual."
The Aftermath
Tamura opened a glass bottle in her hand, preparing to pour the solution over Shimada's body for disposal, but her eyes narrowed as she spotted the unconscious Zhao Xuan.
"Why is there still one survivor? Fine, I'll clean up for you." Tamura's head began to split open.
"Stop!" Izumi yelled, his right arm shooting out as a tentacle to quickly grab Zhao Xuan's leg and drag him behind him. Tamura's raised tentacle retracted, her face partially returning to normal.
"Shinichi Izumi, are you trying to oppose me?"
Izumi shielded the unconscious Zhao Xuan, Migi transformed into a ready-to-fight blade. "I won't let you hurt my friend!"
"Friend..." Tamura's entire face reverted to its human appearance.
At that moment, the sounds of many footsteps approached from downstairs. The police and counter-terrorist units had arrived.
"Friend, huh? Humans truly are strange creatures," Tamura murmured. She pulled out a lighter, ignited it, and tossed it onto Shimada's body, which immediately burst into flames.
"You'd best pray he considers you a friend, too! Don't let him talk carelessly in front of others, or if your identity is exposed..." Tamura didn't finish. She vaulted out the third-floor window and vanished.
Migi urged Izumi to flee. Knowing he couldn't be caught by the police, Izumi grabbed the unconscious Murano and also leapt out a back window, escaping the school before the police reached the floor.
As for Zhao Xuan, Izumi left him behind, assuming he was safe now that Tamura was gone.
Soon, police and special forces flooded the third floor. They cautiously advanced, their expressions grim at the bloody, hellish scene.
"There's a survivor here!"
The police quickly found the unconscious Zhao Xuan and the fiercely burning corpse of Shimada (which was unrecognizable). Zhao Xuan was rushed to a waiting ambulance.
After a thorough search, the police determined that Zhao Xuan was the only person alive on the entire third floor, making him the sole survivor of the massacre.
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