Chapter 182: Blood Runs Thick
The sound of running water filled the washroom. Steam clung to the mirrors and tile, though not enough for Ash to leave the bath yet. He was currently dealing with something a bit… hard.
Rinsing the last of the soap from her body, Yu-na turned off the shower. She bent forward—Ash's eyes widened—and flicked her hair back over her shoulder. Catching his reaction in the corner of her eye, she hid a smile as she walked over and grabbed a towel.
She wrapped her hair first, then took another towel and wrapped it around herself.
"Don't take too long. I'll have some food brought up when you're out."
"K—Kay! I just—I'll be right out."
She only smiled as she slid the washroom door open and stepped into the room. The door had barely shut when she heard the boy let out a long, relieved sigh from inside.
"Little perv."
She laughed quietly to herself while she dressed. Wanting something more casual, she pulled on a black skirt and a loose sweater. She brushed out her hair, dabbed on a bit of makeup, then headed for the door. Ash would probably be in there a while, so she decided to swing by the kitchen herself instead of calling the help.
The second she stepped into the hallway, she regretted it.
"Didn't know you were into kids."
"Say that again?"
Black, oily aura began to seep from Yu-na as she turned to face her sister, Hye-jin.
A dark red aura bled from the eldest Woon sister in response. Pushing herself off the wall, her face flat and unreadable, she stepped forward until she stood in front of Yu-na.
"You know it was a joke. But if you're feeling frisky…"
Usually she was the one looking for a fight, so seeing Hye-jin step up so quickly caught Yu-na off guard. Rolling her eyes, she walked past, making sure her shoulder clipped Hye-jin's as she went.
"Not in the mood for jokes. So unless it's important, get off my floor. You weren't invited."
"Have I ever been invited?"
"There's a reason for that."
With a sigh, Hye-jin let her aura recede, the red glow thinning around her shoulders as she jogged after her sister.
"Why the cold shoulder? Can't a sister be curious? You've been locked up with father for a week, then you immediately run out and come back with an injured kid. Tell me you wouldn't want to know what's up if you saw me doing that?"
Yu-na had expected these questions eventually. She just hadn't planned on dealing with them yet. She had promised her father she wouldn't tell her sisters what they were doing, not yet at least. She was still thinking through the best lie when Hye-jin suddenly smacked her ass.
"Is he that good?"
Swatting at the retreating hand, Yu-na smacked Hye-jin across the arm.
"No idea what you're talking about."
Hye-jin slid in front of her, blocking the hallway, arms folded.
"Don't be like that. Come on, tell me. How's the Butcher of Shatterbay in the sack?"
Rubbing her temples, Yu-na let out a slow breath, already regretting leaving the washroom.
"Ten out of ten. Dude really flips my switch. Now can I go get some food?"
Looking up as if considering it, Hye-jin stepped aside, though she kept pace behind her.
"Don't be like that. Details."
"Go fuck someone, stop getting off to my shit. It's none of your business."
Hye-jin stopped walking. The playfulness drained from her voice.
"I'm sorry, sis, but when you develop a weakness, that becomes my business."
Yu-na stopped.
"Weakness?"
She turned slowly to face her sister.
"Trying to say something? Get to it already. I don't have patience to deal with your bullshit."
Hye-jin studied her like she was measuring something. The hallway went quiet between them, the tension hanging there until Hye-jin finally sighed.
Her shoulders dipped. The usual smirk slipped away, replaced by a look Yu-na almost never saw.
She looked tired.
"Just tell me why you care about him. Wohan Seo-jin is just some street thug."
The bluntness made Yu-na shift slightly. She turned away and continued toward the kitchen.
"Who says I care. He's just a good lay."
"Look, I know we don't get along. Fuck, I'm sure we've both imagined killing the other at some point. But please, Yu-na, just be straight with me."
The awkwardness in the air quickly soured into irritation. She just wanted to grab some food for the kid. Dealing with her sisters was always a headache. This time, though, Hye-jin's honesty threw her off balance, setting her instincts on edge.
A hand touched her shoulder. Not gripping. Just resting there.
"I just wanna know why, that's it. If my little sister has found something special… well, I want to share that."
Yu-na's brows pulled together. She turned and gave Hye-jin a look that made the older sister flush.
"What?! Don't make it weird."
With a sigh, Yu-na realized she wouldn't hear the end of this unless she gave her something.
"He doesn't use me."
Hye-jin rolled her eyes.
"Of course he does. He's a fucking man. Don't tell—wait! Sorry, old habits. Keep going."
Yu-na stopped herself from walking off again. She looked back at her sister, deciding these would be the last words she said about it.
"Every man I've ever been with wanted something. Protection. Access to father. Status. Every single one. But not him. Yeah, we're not taking walks on the beach or whispering lovey-dovey shit. But when I'm with him, at least I know it's because of me."
Blinking for a moment, it was Hye-jin's turn to be caught off guard. She had expected something cheaper, something shallow she would mock. Instead, her sister's words stirred a feeling she hadn't felt in a long time.
Jealousy.
But also something else.
Tilting her head, she watched the way Yu-na's eyes caught the hallway light when she spoke. For once, Hye-jin didn't have a joke ready. Even she wasn't cruel enough to mock that.
"Next time you'll have to introduce me. It's been ages, but every man dreams of sleeping with sisters, maybe we could—ow! I'm kidding!"
Fending off Yu-na's swats, Hye-jin laughed as she stepped back. Yu-na didn't laugh, though the irritation in her eyes had softened.
"Go find your own man. Pervert."
"And you aren't? I've seen your special drawer."
The two kept talking as they headed down the hall toward the kitchen, their footsteps echoing lightly across the polished floor.
Neither of them noticed they were being watched.
Seated behind a wide desk, the Woon patriarch studied a monitor in silence, listening to every word of his daughters' conversation.
----
Watching his panel blink away after pressing yes, Seo-jin felt something like electricity surge through his body. Not from the evolution. He was just keyed up, nerves buzzing under his skin.
His last thought before it started was of his first born. Pain still sat inside the growths. He couldn't risk letting him out with the others, so he would stay inside while Seo-jin evolved. A gamble he hoped wouldn't cost him.
Looking up at the giant corpse sprawled in front of him, he felt it hit.
Pure, blinding agony.
Doubling over, his veins squirmed under his blackened skin. His claws dug into his own arms as he tried to hold himself together. It felt like a hole had opened inside him, pumping lava into his body. His flesh tightened. Bones cracked. Vessels burst.
He finally screamed.
His roar shook the Vent Cathedral, sending loose silt drifting along the stone.
From his open mouth, a surge of blood poured out, stopping short of the ground before twisting back and wrapping over him, coating him from head to toe.
Slowly, he folded in on himself until only a massive ball of coagulated blood hung suspended in the water.
Inside, Seo-jin's mind went still.
The pain was gone. The heat inside him settled into something steady. He held no thoughts, no control. He only felt, existing inside whatever his body was doing.
Warmth. Thick and even.
It rolled through him, slow and heavy, like water shifting in a basin. Side to side, a steady, rocking motion. Then a beat formed, lining up with his heart.
Outside, the blood sphere pulsed. Each beat pushed a faint glow through its surface.
A few feet away, Min stared at it, her jaw hanging open.
'What an asshole. You'll see? Who the fuck does that?'
Snare drifted up beside her, resting against his staff, the glow reflecting across his eyes.
'Father doesn't like explaining himself, but if you're confused, he is evolving.'
'What?!'
Min's head snapped between Snare and the blood sphere, her eyes lighting up.
'I thought he already did! How many times—wait, will he still be a demon?'
Snare held back a laugh.
'He's evolving, not changing species. Whatever he becomes, he will still be a demon.'
'Huh. Crazy. How long will it take?'
'Not sure. We weren't even born when he evolved the first time.'
Joining them, the rest of the brood closed in around their father, circling the suspended mass. Each one stared into the glow.
Widow reached out to touch it, only for Bile to smack her hand away.
Panic instantly launched at him.
The two tumbled away from the group, limbs tangling as they drifted off through the water.
Watching rhe pair tumble off, the humans swam up next, slower, keeping their distance, with a very drunk Teal drifting along behind them.
Slims nudged Hex's shoulder.
'What's up with boss?'
Hex smiled.
'He's evolving.'
'No shit.'
Lynn drifted closer, leaning in until her hand hovered just above the surface of the blood sphere. Heat brushed her skin.
Widow slapped her hand.
'Ow—it's warm.'
Synapse circled the sphere, head tilting as faint text flickered across his eyes. He reached up and scratched at the base of his horn.
'As long as nothing interferes, he will be done in two hours.'
Snare tightened his grip on his staff, the wood creaking faintly in his hand.
'Quit showing off. There's no way—'
'My class allows certain insights. Using my Autopsy Insight skill, I can analyze a subject in detail. Believe me or not, it doesn't matter. In one hour and fifty-nine minutes, the Broodfather will complete his evolution.'
Dragging a struggling Bile behind him, Panic swam back and dropped down, using his brother as a seat. Ignoring Bile's protests, Panic tilted his head up toward Widow, grinning.
Min narrowed her eyes as she watched him for a moment. Then she looked away and summoned a health potion in a burst of yellow system light.
'Where's Pain?'
Snare and Synapse both straightened at her question, turning toward Panic for an answer.
Widow stepped in before he could respond.
She laid it out, what had happened while Min and the others were trapped in the growths. Liao Tzu. The prisoner city. What happened with Pain.
When she finished, Panic tilted his head toward Snare.
'What's a shard tent city?'
Snare shook his head.
'The term is Shard Entity. A lifeform created from a User's Shard.'
Panic dragged his tongue along his teeth as he thought, then his eyes widened.
'Are we Shard Entity's?!'
'Technically no. We are born from our father, not his Shard. For example, high-rank shards can form their own dungeons. The lifeforms inside those spaces would be Shard Entities.'
Panic's eyes flared with bloodlight as he shot to his feet.
'Makes no sense! Not for Panic.'
He dropped back down just as fast, already done with the conversation. Pulling his dagger from his throat, he started tapping it against Bile's mask.
'Hey, we got company!'
Split-jaw's voice came from behind them, low and steady. He hovered a short distance back, staring into the dark water.
Min and the others turned to follow his gaze...and every one of them smiled.
Even the humans.
The darkness was packed with eyes. Hundreds of them. Shapes shifted behind them. Dozens of abyssal guards mounted on their beasts, circling in the distance.
Min slammed her gauntlets together, the impact thudding through the water.
'Two hours, Dead Hands!'
Bloodlight surged around her as Min's yellow aura flared to life.
The brood and the humans tightened their grips, bodies angling forward.
No one would touch the broodfather until he was finished.
No one.