No, he felt it.

At that moment, Parasite realized he was mistaken with his thoughts. The wounded area was healing.

The powerful senses he gained after absorbing Superman's traits let him know this much.

Only, the speed was extremely slow. Digging deeper into that feeling, he realized the problem.

Anyone who used a microscope to view the wounded areas would also know what was going on.

Parasite's cells were at war. Battling a considerable amount of cataclysmic force surging in his missing eyeholes like white blood cells encountering a very potent virus.

The mortal enemies immediately went to war, both sides determined to fight until one was eradicated.

The image of the hand colored dark red, appearing out of nowhere filled his mind the following second.

“.... You just….”. Looking at the wounded Parasite, Kara was visibly shocked. Looking at the eyeless monster that stood on both feet, staring in their direction without moving a muscle, she felt a tingling sensation in her spine.

The visual image in front of her was honestly terrifying.

“I did”. I replied indifferently, placing one hand on his chin before uttering in a thoughtful tone.

“It's ok, though. It won't have much impact on him. After all, he can still see us”.

“He what?” The blonde kryptonian felt her blood grow cold. The eerie feeling intensified, looking at the monster with only two bloody holes and no eyes.

It could still see?

“.... Yep. He should have the abilities of you and your cousin now. His hearing can perfectly fill in for his sight”.

I said briefly, before showing a hint of contemplation.

“Am I right.....?” Finally, I asked the person in question himself.

“...... Rudy?” The casual words were downright terrifying to the young kryptonian.

This monster could steal the abilities of others. So that's why she felt so weak.

Kara felt frightened. This little planet Earth was more dangerous than she could have imagined.

In response to my question, the purple monster didn't give an answer. Just stared at me with his eyeless face.

I didn't mind. If Parasite wanted to buy time for his eyes to grow back, then there was no problem waiting.

Sure enough, it didn't take a few extra seconds, the injuries inflicted began to heal rapidly, reverting to the state it was before.

Finally, he...... Or it spoke.

“...... You know me?” The voice was deep, eerie, hoarse, wasn't as demonic as Zoom's, but it fit well.

It was a question, yet at the same time, not a question.

“Oh...... still has a trace of reasoning. Not a total beast driven by pure instinct yet, huh?". I thought to myself with a bit of curiosity.

“.... And from his memories I ..... Know you”. As it said so, the eyes lit up like red Lava, shooting towards my chest.

The heat rays hit me straight on my chest area as I made no attempt to avoid it. Waves of burning solar power released through two straight rays continuously impacted against me.

No effect thought as everything was taken in the same way it came. All without a single piece of fabric I put on getting destroyed or me moving a step from my position.

At that moment, Parasite's body was enveloped in electric arcs before disappearing in place leaving my slightly astounded.

My ears twitched slightly as I snapped my head to the side and raised both hands to block the two arms attempting to grab me.

Bang!

My feet remained motionless as Parasite revealed himself. His hideous face actually had what I could only assume to be a sinister grin, looking like it had won a battle.

“No!” Clark's face turned pale. He didn't even have an opportunity to give a reminder to not engage in physical contact under any circumstances.

If Parasite absorbed my abilities as well, then they would be finished.

“Hehehehe! You lose”. He uttered with a dark chuckle, tightened his hands holding mine and actively absorbed.

It happened then, streams of dark red energy emerged from my hands that were being held captive.

Parasite's face changed drastically as pain once again assaulted his nerves and desperately tried to break free. Only, this time, I wasn't letting go.

Disintegration energy emerged from my body like a flood, encasing the purple monster that towered over me in height and body size.

“Rarghhhhh!” It was the same hellish scream, only even more prolonged. I watched as his body began to decay and crumble rapidly.

The once impenetrable flesh did nothing to stop what was upon it as it rampaged through his every being in full force.

The previous quantity in his eyes were considerable but in my opinion, minimal. The terrifying monster fell to his knees, his hands still clamped by mine to prevent escape.

Barely ten seconds had passed, and it looked like it was about to turn into a skeleton.

It happened then, Parasite's body began to vibrate at a different frequency before phasing through the ground, escaping my grasp in a hurry.

Watching it flee through the ground, my eyebrows furrowed slightly. My mind wasn't on the fact that he had escaped but the discovery that.........

“He's faster than me”. I muttered under my breath with a bit of contemplation in my eyes.

This wasn't an exaggeration. When Parasite attacked, his movement was too fast. Not to the point where I couldn't notice his movement pattern but almost to the point of a blur.

For someone like me, that was truly saying something.

The combined speed of a kryptonian and a speedster was above my current level of strength.

Coming down to physical fitness, not only was parasite faster than me, he was also stronger. I could tell from the collision.

If I didn't absorb the energy generated upon impact, I would have probably been blown away.

Of course, this was all just on paper. The outcome of the brief encounter was still overwhelmingly in my favor.

Physically, I may be weaker, but I would never lose.

Nevertheless, this was worth taking note of.

“It's been a long time since I last got an upgrade”. I thought to myself with a hint of amusement.

The DC universe wasn't limited to just this. Ultimately, someone like parasite who could destroy the world if given enough time were still a second rate villain at most. Maybe a bit higher when he reached his peak.

The real threats were still nowhere to be found. But that didn't mean they didn't exist.

“He's gone”.

I turned my gaze to the struggling Man Of Steel.

Clark mustered enough energy to stand on his feet. Having regained some strength from the sun, he still looked like he would fall over as long as someone gave him a slight push.

“Rudy?” Clark asked with a grim expression.

“I saw his picture. That's him? The employee at Star Labs?” Clark's face carried clear disbelief.

The image of the white haired male in a Janitor's outfit and the purple monster in front of him conflicted greatly.

What...... What in god's name happened to him.

“Pretty much”. I affirmed with a shrug of my shoulders.

Clark's face was particularly ugly.

“You know what happened to him, don't you?”

“Pretty much”. I didn't stick around for more questions this time. Answering with two words, I turned around to leave.

Clark, who wanted to ask more, had his words stuck in his throat seeing my departing figure.

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

A frown adorned his face before he called out.

“You're going after him?”

“Pretty much”. I said without turning around.

The frown deepened.

“Are you going to kill him?”

“Pretty much”. I replied indifferently before adding.

“Don't you think it's normal to finish what you started?”

“But what if there's a way to reverse it?”

“...” Receiving no reply, Clark gnashed his teeth with a bit of anger and helplessness.

“You can't kill him. He's still human”.

“Sure...... Look at all the corpses and just keep telling yourself that”.

“He has a family. A wife and child”. His words successfully brought my departing back to a halt.

“It's not right to kill him if he can still be saved”. Seeing this, Clark said hurriedly. He knew what was about to happen.

Parasite's fate was sealed the moment he attacked and Superman was currently in no condition to stop me.

Honestly, at this point. Clark doubted he could on a normal day. The situation might be different if he flew into the sun before it happened but......

Currently, Rudy Jones wasn't the human he once was. Now, he was extremely dangerous and would go on a massive killing spree if left unchecked.

Clark didn't want that to happen but aside from him, there were few people in the Justice League who could be of help.

Scratch that. With what he had just faced, anyone else who came to interfere would probably suffer what he just experienced and not everyone had his level of vitality.

He didn't want Rudy to die, and he also didn't want people to die due to leaving Rudy alive.

For a moment, Superman hoped that Amari could help him. Capture and contain the parasite instead of killing it.

But judging from behavioral observation, what were the chances?

At least I certainly wouldn't.

“Instead of worrying about the family of others, you should start worrying about yours”. I said, turning my head slightly to reveal my side profile.

“Cause you nearly lost yours two minutes ago”.

Clark was slightly stunned at my words, before directing his gaze to Kara, who had passed out at some point.

Clark's brows were narrowed intensely.

“Why did......”. He raised his head up only to find the person in question was no longer there.

.........

Midvale.......... A suburban town outside Metropolis.

In a discreet and quiet alleyway.

A blurry figure slowly appeared, its vibrating figure phasing from the underground up to the surface.

The blurry silhouette soon stopped vibrating as soon as its whole body was out of the floor, revealing a bloody, physically disgusting figure.

Molted skin that looked like it just emerged from an acid vat.

A disfigured appearance making it look even more terrifying, Parasite took in his surroundings for a few seconds before staggering forwards.

Unfortunately, it looked like the last of his strength was spent just getting here. Failing to keep himself upright, the two-meter purplish monster fell to the floor after taking his first step.

The pain he was currently experiencing was unlike nothing he ever felt before.

“Rrghh”. He released a pained growling sound while struggling to push himself up. The feeling of death that enveloped him a few moments ago left the monster utterly terrified.

And so, Parasite ran away. Using the speed force, he phased through the floor, into the Metropolis underground sewer tunnels and ran as fast as he could.

He didn't stop until he appeared in this small town, quite far from his original position. Not because he felt he had run far enough, but because he couldn't run anymore.

The tearing pain of his muscles and bones being broken down was overwhelming.

Not long after his official existence, Parasite encountered something terrible. Someone in possession of a form of energy he couldn't absorb.

Supporting himself off the ground, he staggered toward the alleys end. His powerful senses let him know that if he left himself the way he was, he would most certainly die.

The huge influx of destructive energy had overwhelmed whatever healing capability his natural body provided. The only reason he was still alive was because the huge amount of energy he had absorbed was acting as a fuel tank, fighting against the disintegration and keeping him from crumbling to dust.

It wouldn't last long, though. All it was doing at this point was delaying the inevitable. Soon, it would run out, unless, of course, he absorbed some more.

Not much, just enough to make sure that he could expel the cataclysmic force, heal his injuries and momentarily avoid hunger.

So........ A few hundred of these humans should do. A thousand at maximum. After that....... He would continue to absorb more.

He thought he was powerful enough after defeating Superman. Damn was he wrong.

Now, he needed more. Much more.

And so, he continued to move towards the nearest human.

At that moment, the space behind him began to swirl.

“So this is where you're hiding”. The voice that fell into his ears caused the purple monster to freeze.

The streets of Midvale weren't bustling, but numerous people could be seen on the sidewalks here and there.

A taxi driver whistled to a popular tone he recently got hooked on while driving his cab to the designated pickup stop.

Bang!

The driver didn't even have time to react as a figure flew out of a secluded alleyway at breakneck speed and slammed right into his taxi cab.

The back of the parasite monster crashed against the taxi, sending it flying into the air before crashing to the floor.

It didn't stop there, and the body continued to move forward, slamming into a parked tanker which exploded upon impact.

Chaos engulfed the streets immediately, as many people ran for their lives without attempting to understand the situation.

In this day and age, even a black man running on the road like he was fleeing from a ghost would put everyone else who saw it into a flight, no matter what the actual reason was.

An explosion certainly warranted such reactions.

As for the Jamaican taxi driver whose life status was unknown....... nobody gave a damn.

Of course, there would always be those who would carry their phones, turn on their social accounts and begin live-streaming without regard for their personal safety.

The tanker went up in flames. A few seconds later, the flames were put out miraculously.

Parasite fell to the ground. An indent visible on the scrap metal he collided against.

Absorbing the flames did help his situation. But not by much. His deformed body still hadn't begun the healing process.

There was a clear fist print in his chest area causing a noticeable hole.

Amidst the screams and chaos, the sound of steady footsteps walking in his direction was particularly loud.

“........ Why?” The hoarse voice of Rudy Jones fell in my ears. I understood what his question meant.

“Your cells were made to absorb while my energy was made to destroy, break apart, shatter on a molecular level. Your cells break apart before they can digest it, it's that simple”.

I said nonchalantly. Like a professor explaining a physics law to a student.

“.......... What are you”. Those incomprehensible words coming from him almost made me chuckle.

“A human corrupted by an alien substance transformed into an energy devouring organism........ I should ask you the same question”.

Those were my last words before my eyes changed. However, there was a noticeable difference this time as the usual spiral shaped pattern was gone.

What was left was a pure blue glow, accompanied by countless swirls in the area where the irises should be.

And let me be completely honest when I say, this wasn't my doing, as I had no idea how this happened.

“Rarghhhhh!” Seeing the change, Parasite roared loudly and turned into a lightning streak, rushing towards me with his claws outstretched.

Time seemed to slow down.

All he saw was the amusing look in my eyes before his vision was encroached by darkness.

The next moment, his vision returned. This time, however, he wasn't in the city. The whole place was dark, too dark. Parasite found himself in a dark, dreary space, his limbs were completely bound with chains.

Not just bound, he found that he couldn't even move a muscle.

Three moons hung in the sky yet the light they emitted seemed to achieve no purpose.

From all he could see, the darkness stretched on for miles on end.

“So even the Tsukyuomi space got an upgrade”. My voice brought him out of his reverie as he turned to my silhouette that just appeared.

“Where am I”. He uttered gravely in a clear voice. The next moment, his eyes widened inexplicably.

“Surprised?” I asked with a slight smile.

“Look down”.

As if an order had been given, his previously immovable body suddenly bent downwards, with his face directly opposite the ground.

Underneath him wasn't pitch-black night but a reflection of himself. The scene he saw caused his disbelief to rise even higher.

His skin was smooth...... Well, at least as smooth as a middle-aged man could get. The purple skin color was gone and he's terrifying features had disappeared.

With the all too familiar black hair on his head, Rudy realized what was happening. He was back....... He wasn't Parasite anymore but Rudy Jones.

But......

“How is this possible?” He voiced out his disbelief.

“This is my mental space, created to imprison the minds of all those who look into my eyes. It's a little different from before, but it should work just as well”.

I said while gesturing.

“You..... You cured me?”

“Oh? No!” Hearing his words, I quickly shook my head before pointing at him.

“This…. Isn't your real body. You're not in the real world but in a mental space. What you look like, right now, is the manifestation of your consciousness. Also, don't try to play that. I already know that Rudy Jones is long gone”. I said indifferently, causing the expression of the male to change.

“The only reason you still seem like this is that you haven't adapted yet. With time, you'll eventually look like what you are on the outside”.

Rudy's face went from surprised to thoughtful, to finally, a frown.

“What do you want”. Although it was the same voice, the tone was obviously different.

“Hehehe”. I let out a hearty chuckle.

“You'll know soon enough”.

“This space cannot imprison me forever. I will escape, and I will.......”. He said in a menacing tone.

“And what makes you think I plan to imprison you here?”

I cut in before he could complete his sentence.

Seeing the trace of confusion, I added with a smile.

“I think you're getting something mixed up. You see, I'm not trying to imprison you. Usually, I'd kill you immediately, but my eyes have gone through a special evolution. Now, it has a lot of functions I know nothing about. So what better way to explore those functions.......”.

My smile was particularly bright.

“Than on a very rare and extremely suitable guinea pig?”