Chapter 437: Can I Borrow Your Torso?

The whole scene had turned utterly surreal.

Even the villagers, who had spent the past half-hour standing bravely between life and death, were now staring in baffled silence. Their savior, their hope, their so-called hero, was standing at the entrance of the village talking to a half of a fish.

One of the older fishermen blinked several times, leaned toward Nala, and whispered.

"Nala...dear...what exactly is going on here? Why is your boyfriend...uh...talking to a dead fish?"

Another woman added nervously, "We know he’s on our side, bless him, and he’s trying to help us out...but what is he doing right now?"

"If he’s gonna bring something, couldn’t it at least be a weapon? Why in the world did he bring a fish that’s cut in half?" A younger man rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

And then one of the village elders muttered under his breath, "I don’t mean to sound rude, but...is your boy missing a screw somewhere? He’s holding that fish like it’s his child."

Every head turned toward Nala expectantly, like she held all the answers to this strange mystery.

But to everyone’s disbelief, Nala just stood there looking as puzzled as they were. Her eyes darted between Cassius and the half-fish dangling from his hand before she gave a helpless shrug.

"I...don’t know." She admitted. "He just told me to bring him a big fish from the storeroom, so I did." She folded her arms, tail twitching slightly. "I have no idea why he’s carrying it around or what he plans to do with it."

The villagers collectively groaned in confusion.

But then Nala’s lips curved into a small smirk, pride blooming in her expression.

"Still..." She said confidently. "I trust him. Whatever he’s doing, I’m sure there’s a reason. He’s my future husband, after all."

She lifted her chin proudly.

"I trust whatever my husband does."

It was such a wholesome declaration that several villagers actually smiled despite the absurdity—until a loud, mocking laugh cut through the air.

Marcus, his face still bleeding and half-swollen from Nala’s earlier strike, was cackling like a madman.

"That crazy bastard is your husband?!" He barked out, barely able to contain his laughter. "Oh, this is rich! This is absolutely perfect!"

He clutched his stomach, doubling over in laughter, while the men behind him followed suit.

"Hah! Now everything makes sense!" Marcus wheezed between fits of laughter. "Only someone insane enough to talk to a dead fish would ever marry a snake freak like you!"

The mob laughed harder, their crude voices echoing through the air.

"Maybe he escaped from a madhouse!" One of them shouted.

"Yeah! A lunatic for a monster, what a perfect couple!" Another yelled.

"Guess that fish is the only thing that actually listens to him!"

Nala’s face flushed with anger, her tail slamming the dirt hard enough to leave a mark. "You filthy scum! How dare you insult—!"

But before she could launch into one of her famous verbal beatdowns, Cassius had already walked up beside her, completely calm, still cradling the half-fish in his hands.

He didn’t even glance at Marcus. Instead, he looked at Nala with a strangely serious, almost pleading expression.

"Nala." He said softly. "Please, look at this. Just look."

He gently shook the half-fish by its tail, its head lolling pathetically from side to side.

Everyone stared in disbelief.

"I was walking by the lake earlier." Cassius began, his tone sincere, as if delivering a heartfelt story. "Just admiring the sunset and thinking how beautiful everything looked. But then, as I walked, I stepped on something soft and squishy. And when I looked down..."

He held up the fish.

"It was this."

A stunned silence followed.

"I was shocked." Cassius continued gravely. "Completely horrified, actually. Look at him! Half his body’s missing! There’s just this poor tail and fins left."

He sighed, shaking his head with sympathy.

"When I asked him what happened, he told me..." He paused dramatically. "...that the other half of him had been eaten by a bigger fish. A monster fish. Left him to die, alone, on the shore."

The villagers exchanged looks of pure bewilderment.

"Isn’t it tragic?" Cassius said, voice trembling slightly as he stroked the fish’s head as if comforting it. "He used to be so proud, king of his part of the lake, swimming free and fearless. But now...he’s only half of himself. Abandoned. Broken. Forgotten."

Even Nala blinked, unsure whether to laugh or be worried for his sanity.

"Cassius..." She started carefully. "What...exactly...are you talking about?"

But Cassius wasn’t done.

"I couldn’t just leave him there." He said earnestly, still looking at the fish as though it were a dear friend. "So I promised him, I promised that I’d find him a new upper body."

He looked up, his eyes full of conviction.

"I couldn’t bear to see him like this. All lonely and sad. So I took it upon myself to find a replacement, someone willing to lend him a new half."

By now, the mob was laughing hysterically.

"Oh gods, he’s serious!" One of them howled. "He’s actually lost it!"

"Look at him, talking to fish like it’s his pet!"

"Guess the snake girl really did pick a perfect match!"

The laughter only grew louder. But Cassius didn’t even glance their way. He was too "busy."

He turned to Nala suddenly and said. "Originally, I was going to find another fish, give him a normal upper body. But then..."

He lifted the fish’s head slightly. "Then Mr. Fish here saw you."

"Me?" Nala blinked, startled.

Cassius nodded solemnly. "Yes. He saw you once by the lake and was struck by your beauty, by how graceful you looked with your human half and your serpent tail. He said you were magnificent. Unique. Beautiful beyond words."

Nala’s cheeks turned pink. "W—Well, I mean...that’s...uh..." She fidgeted with her hair, confused but flattered. "That’s very...sweet of the fish, I guess?"

Cassius nodded. "Exactly! So, he told me that he wanted a new body like yours, a body that’s half human-half tail."

The villagers stared at each other. A few whispered, "He’s lost his mind" while others weren’t sure whether to laugh or hide.

Cassius went on undeterred. "That’s why we’re here now. I’m helping him choose! He’s looking for candidates!"

He turned toward the villagers with sudden enthusiasm and began pointing at them one by one.

"What about her, Mr. Fish?" He asked cheerfully, pointing at a confused woman near the front. "She’s got a nice upper body, don’t you think? No? Oh, I see, too short. Okay, okay."

He moved to another. "What about him? He’s tall, broad shoulders! Very manly! No? You prefer something slimmer? I understand, you have taste."

The man he pointed at just blinked, speechless.

Then Cassius turned to another woman. "Hmm, what about her? She has a lovely figure, oh? You still have problems with it? Ah, I see, I see! You’re quite particular!"

He nodded in understanding, moving along the line, whispering to the fish, occasionally nodding or frowning as if taking mental notes.

The villagers looked utterly mortified. The hooligans, on the other hand, were practically rolling on the ground laughing.

"By the gods, he’s insane!" One of them gasped between laughs. "Completely gone!"

"I can’t breathe, he’s negotiating with a fish!"

"Hey snake girl! Better watch out, your husband might replace your tail next!"

Their mocking laughter echoed across the field.

Nala’s fists clenched tightly. Her tail twitched violently, slamming the dirt as she glared at them. She wanted so badly to unleash her wrath, to tear those filthy mouths apart for daring to laugh at Cassius, but she stopped herself.

Because even though Cassius looked insane...there was something in his eyes, something faintly sharp, cold that told her this wasn’t madness.

And whatever he was doing...it was building toward something.

Finally, after scanning every single soul within the crowd—men, women, elders, even a confused goat tied to a post nearby, he came back to Nala with a disappointed look on his face.

He sighed, cradling the fish like a baby. "Well, Mr. Fish, it seems you didn’t like anyone here. Not a single one. Picky, aren’t you?"

Then suddenly, he leaned in close to the fish’s face as if he was listening to it whisper secrets. He nodded a few times, feigning surprise, before straightening up with exaggerated shock.

"What’s that, Mr. Fish? You want Nala’s upper body? You think she’s simply too beautiful to resist and you want her?"

The villagers gasped softly, all eyes darting to Nala, who blinked, her face flushing.

But before she could say anything, Cassius pulled the fish away and wagged a finger at it sternly.

"No, Mr. Fish. No! That’s bad of you! You’re a very naughty fish!" He scolded in a firm, almost fatherly tone. "Nala is my wife. Mine! There’s absolutely no way I’m giving you her upper body. You can forget it."

He then turned toward Nala, holding the fish up to her chest and speaking in a serious, instructional tone.

"Now look closely, Mr. Fish. See these?"He gestured to her chest, "These are her plump, juicy...uh...fruits. They’re very nice fruits! And they’re mine. All mine. I’m not sharing!"

"C-Cassius!!" Nala yelped, covering her chest, her cheeks blazing red. "What are you even saying?!"

"Just teaching Mr. Fish some manners." Cassius smiled innocently.

Then he turned the fish away from her, as if to scold it again. "No looking, bad boy. We’re not borrowing that upper body. Pick someone else."

The villagers were torn between laughter, confusion, and disbelief, as Cassius then suddenly straightened, looking past the villagers toward the mob gathered beyond the gates. His grin turned sly.

"Well then, Mr. Fish..." He said cheerfully. "...since Nala’s off-limits, maybe your perfect upper body’s waiting in that crowd instead. There’s plenty of...candidates over there, I think."

Before anyone could stop him, Cassius started walking straight toward the mob, without a single trace of fear.

The villagers called out nervously. "Hey, wait—!" but he ignored them, whistling softly as he approached the gang of armed thugs.

The mob watched him curiously. To their surprise, many of them started laughing again.

"Look at this idiot!" One of them chuckled. "He’s coming toward us!"

"Still carrying that fish too! Hah! This boy’s madder than a drunk priest!"

"Let’s see what he does next!"

Cassius stopped a few paces in front of them, calm as ever, and lifted the fish up to his ear.

"What’s that, Mr. Fish?" He said, pretending to listen. "You’ve found a candidate you like? Really? Which one? That one?"

He pointed straight toward a tall, burly man with a thick beard and a cruel grin, one of the most dangerous-looking among them.

"Ohh, interesting choice." Cassius said with mock surprise as he walked right up to the man. "You think this one might be suitable?"

The thug, named Ronald, crossed his arms, smirking down at Cassius. "You seriously gonna keep this up, kid? Talking to a fish?"

Cassius didn’t answer him. He leaned slightly toward the fish instead.

"What’s that? You’re not sure if he’s the right one? You think he might be, but you’d have to try it out first? Hmm...yes, yes, that’s quite a dilemma."

He tapped his chin thoughtfully.

"But I’ve got it! Just like when you go to a tailor, you try on a new coat before buying it, right? So, Mr. Fish, we’ll just try on his upper body first to see if it fits!"

"What the hell are you babbling about?" Ronald frowned to which Cassius smiled pleasantly at him before turning and calling, "Nala! Could you come here for a moment?"

Nala, still confused but trusting him, slithered over, ignoring the uneasy murmurs from the villagers.

"Cassius, what are you doing?"

"Hold Mr. Fish for me, please." He handed the fish to her gently. "Keep him safe, okay?"

Nala blinked, then accepted the fish carefully, cradling it. "O-Okay, sure, but...should I talk to it or something?"

Cassius chuckled softly. "No, no, he’s a bit nervous around pretty girls like you. He might faint if you speak to him."

Hearing this Nala couldn’t help but think that he really was shameless to flirt with her every chance he got, not that she was complaining though.

"Just hold him like that." Cassius said casually. "Mr. Fish only wants to try on new upper bodies before choosing one permanently."

As Nala obeyed, holding the fish steady in her hands, Marcus finally lost his patience.

"This is ridiculous!" He yelled, wiping blood from his face. "This idiot’s completely insane! If we stand here listening any longer, we’ll go mad too!"

He turned toward Ronald with an impatient sneer.

"Enough of this circus! Ronald, finish him off already. Split him in half and be done with it!"

He looked back at Nala, grinning lecherously.

"Once he’s gone, we’ll have some fun with his little wife, eh? And the rest of the village after that, lots of old folks, sure, but I see a few ripe young ones too."

The villagers shouted in anger, some spitting at him, others raising tools defensively.

Ronald, on the other hand, chuckled darkly, hefting his massive axe onto his shoulder. "Gladly, boss."

He stepped toward Cassius, cracking his neck.

"Don’t take it personal, kid. You’re funny, I’ll give you that...But you talk too much."

He raised the axe high above his head,

"CASSIUS, MOVE!" Nala screamed, ready to throw herself in front of the axe without any hesitation whatsoever.

But Cassius didn’t even flinch. He was still smiling, still calmly looking down at the half-fish in her hands.

"Alright, Mr. Fish." He murmured softly, his crimson eyes glimmering. "Let’s start off with this one."

"...Let’s borrow his upper body and see if it fits."

And before anyone could process his words, Cassius moved.

In a blur of speed too fast for the eye to follow, he stepped forward, one hand gripping Ronald’s upper torso, the other seizing his thigh.

Ronald’s grin faltered. "What the—"

Then Cassius’ fingers dug in.

The sound that followed was not human.

Scrchhhh! Splatter!

Flesh tore like paper.

Bone snapped like dry twigs.

Ronald’s triumphant grin froze mid-smirk as his body ripped apart from the waist, torn clean in two with his torso hanging in one hand and his legs be pelvis in another.

A spray of blood painted the dirt red. Entrails spilled onto the ground with a sickening wet sound.

And Cassius stood in the middle of it all, utterly calm, holding half a corpse in each hand.

For a second, no one moved.

Then he let go of his legs with a heavy, wet thud.

And instantly, the mob staggered back in terror, faces pale, eyes wide with disbelief.

"WHA—! WHAT THE—! WHAT JUST HAPPENED!!!!"

"R-RONALD! RONALDDDD!"

"AHHHHHH!!!!!"

Several dropped their weapons outright and looked like they had seen the pits of hell. The villagers themselves stood frozen, horrified but awestruck.

Nala too gasped, eyes wide, her chest splattered with blood from the kill. But she didn’t even move to wipe it away—she was too stunned by what happened right before her eyes.

Cassius, on the other hand, didn’t seem fazed in the slightest. He calmly looked down at the torso he held, sighed, and muttered. "Too messy."

Then he started pulling out the intestines hanging down from the torso like he was cleaning all the dirty stuff that was hanging down, the sound of blood and guts hitting the dirt echoing through the silent air.

And then, still holding the upper torso, he examined it thoughtfully, lifting it up and down.

"Hmm...actually, this one might be a good fit, Mr. Fish."

He walked back to Nala, whose trembling hands still held the half-fish.

"Hold him steady." He said casually.

Without hesitation, he pressed Ronald’s upper half onto the fish’s cut end, blood and guts squelching together.

The grotesque "fusion" made several people gag.

"There we go." Cassius said cheerfully. "Look at that, Mr. Fish! You’ve got your new upper body! So, what do you think? Do you like it?"

He tilted his head, pretending to listen to an answer. Then his expression turned sad.

"What? You don’t like it?...Really? But I thought you’d love this one." He sighed theatrically. "Well, that’s disappointing."

But then his smile returned, dark and bright all at once.

"But don’t worry, Mr. Fish. There are plenty more candidates."

He turned toward the rest of the mob, grinning with crimson eyes that gleamed like blood.

"Plenty." He said softly. "And I’m sure one of them has an upper body you’ll really love."

The mob collectively took a step back, weapons shaking in their hands, the stench of blood mixing with fear in the air.

And Cassius, still smiling, took a single step forward, eager to start a ruthless masscare...