Chapter 80: Ashes Into Fire
When the Maw ripped open and swallowed the cherub whole, both Big Min and Gregor staggered back.
Min's eyes lit up, her grin splitting wide.
"Didn't see that comin'."
Gregor didn't share the thrill. His face went rigid, sweat already running down his jaw.
"That idiot! Why the hell did he do that?!"
Min cocked her head, watching him limp toward the demon.
"What's the problem this time?! Swear to God, losing your hair turned you into a fuckin' wet blanket. At least—"
"He's going to die."
Gregor's voice was flat, grim.
"A demon cannot consume Light. It is poison to them."
"Bullshit. Look at him, he looks—"
Azakh-Tur's body erupted. Blood exploded from his pores, his skull whipping back as a roar split the chamber. Smoke belched off his skin as superheated gore streamed from his eyes, ears, and mouth. His body sizzled like fat on an iron plate.
"We have to keep him alive!"
"Fuck that! Let it die, in fact—"
"Back up, Min! He just saved you!"
"He killed Seo-jin! Or did you forget—"
Their shouting blurred, a distant buzz in Azakh-Tur's skull as his flesh convulsed and rebelled against the Light.
'Hurry…! I can't hold it!'
The moment Savage Feed dragged the cherub down his throat, it was like swallowing a star. The Light didn't settle, it raged, searing through muscle and bone, trying to burn a hole out of him. The angel inside clawed and writhed, its will thrashing against his own.
[!! WARNING !!]
[Severe Incompatibility Detected // Light Element Within User]
[Health Drain: -124HP/sec]
His sight was gone, eyes boiled in their sockets, viscous black blood streaming down his face. His tongue had cooked to ash, the remains sloughing down his throat in clumps of char and scalded gore. Every breath was molten iron.
[Critical Status Effect: Internal Immolation]
[+27HP // Broodlink]
[+39HP // Demonic Will]
The gains were pitiful against the torrent eating him alive. Seconds at best.
Grimm tore free from his chest, screaming like escaping fire. The little revenant's bones rattled wild, intestines whipping behind him like a comet tail. His flame-eyes shook with something he rarely showed...fear.
The first-born broodlings clawed against every instinct, shrieking to reach him, but the Snare's pragmatic mind kept them pinned to their feeding. Blood ran in rivulets down their maws as they tore through corpses, but their gazes locked on him, frantic, desperate.
Inside him, the cherub's voice shrieked through every nerve, every inch of flesh.
'No! I refuse! The Light is eternal! Orshal's love shields me! Beast! Abomination! Black tongue! ORSHAL! LORD ORSHAL!'
The words weren't just heard, they flayed across his entire being, every syllable carving like a brand.
His body was ash in waiting. Every millisecond, more of him peeled away. Ribs cracking open like dry wood, organs boiling into tar before they could even fall free.
[!! CRITICAL WARNING !!]
[Health: 214 / 840]
His thoughts stuttered, breaking apart. Instinct was all he had left, but even that was drowning. The light inside him clawed at his mind, dragging him into nothing.
'Fall, beast! Fall and be unmade!'
The cherub's scream was dimming, but it was everywhere, tearing through him like razors. His body shook in convulsions, fingers fusing to bone, horns cracking, each splinter like a clap of thunder.
[Health: 27 / 840]
Everything blackened. Consciousness slipped. His body was done… there was nothing left to hold.
The cherub shrieked inside him, its voice splintering into raw static.
'Our light—is eternal—! OR—Shal! I took it with me...I—'
The cry cut short.
On the outside, the fire raging through Azakh-Tur's body dimmed. What had been an inferno burning him alive shrank to flickers, then to cinders. His remains hunched, steaming, smoke bleeding from the cracks.
Min and Gregor froze. The broodlings backed off, their frenzy breaking as they hissed at the sight. What stood before them looked finished, like a corpse burned hollow, one last ember glowing faintly in its chest.
'It… w—… fun…'
Slowly, as if fighting against the cold winds of winter, the ember finally winked out. His last thought seared away.
Grimm drifted down, his intestines dragging lifeless behind him. He hovered weakly toward Azakh-Tur's body, head lowered, the little ghost trembling in mourning.
It was over. His Master was gone...
Then the corpse split with crimson.
System light tore outward in a flood, violent and absolute. The chamber bathed in it, forcing Min and Gregor to shield their eyes as the broodlings shrieked and pressed flat to the ground. But Grimm stayed, his eyes unmoving.
[System // Notification]
[Quest Complete // Snuff Out the Light]
[Clear Conditions // Kill and Consume the Source of Light]
[Quest Rewards // +10% Soul Integrity]
[Reward Distribution…]
His veins ignited.
The flood hit like a storm, Soulmass surging through ruined flesh, blasting away the decay. Charred organs rewove. Horns hardened. Skin snapped tight across reforming muscle. His health bar screamed upward as Soul Integrity fused to his core, stitching him back together with raw, howling force.
[+10% Soul Integrity Gained]
[Soul Integrity // 60.8% → 65%]
[Evolution Condition // Reach 65% Soul Integrity // Completed]
[Evolution Condition // Unlocked]
[Evolution Condition // Unlocked]
Where a second before there was only death, now the Broodfather stood whole. Reborn in black fire, dripping bloodlight.
His mind reeled, but relief bled through faster than his new flesh could stitch. He dragged in a breath, lips curling.
"That was close… but it worked."
[User remains a marvel of improbable survival. And a complete imbecile.]
"Suck my ass."
Two humans gawked at him like they'd watched a corpse rise from its grave. He shrugged.
"What?"
Min nearly swung at him.
"What the fuck was that?! Dead one second, fine the next?! What skill is that?!"
"Not a skill. Quest reward. Simple as that."
His vision blurred blue as Grimm came out of nowhere and clung to his face, bones rattling in manic glee. Seo-jin tried not to flinch, voice low in his head.
'Yeah, I know, I know, I'm glad too. Now get off. I can't see.'
Grimm refused to leave completely, plopping onto his head between his horns, dangling intestines swaying as he settled in.
Ignoring him, Azakh-Tur faced his broodlings. Their eyes dripped tears of blood, their bodies trembling from what they'd seen.
"You all did well. A reward will be given later. Snare especially. You two must always listen to him when I'm not here."
They all bowed reverantly, their bodies twitching from his praise.
Satisfied, he scanned the ruin of the fourth floor...burnt meat, shattered cement, fresh corpses heaped over old. The angel's flare had snuffed the fires when it swallowed the light, but the stench of death still coated the room like a fresh coat of paint.
"Anyone in the gang control water?"
Gregor didn't answer. His brain locked on the impossible he'd just seen—a demon drinking Light and living. Like flames breathing underwater.
Min had no such pause.
"Who the fuck cares? We saved him, so let's finish this. No more talking."
Min stepped forward. The Brood reacted like bloodhounds, teeth bared, their bodies snapping forward in unison.
Gregor broke from his stupor as the weight of Min's killing intent hit him.
"Hold it. What finish?"
He moved to grab her arm, but Azakh-Tur's voice cut through.
"Leave her."
Something in the tone made him listen, though his protest stayed sharp.
"Min, I know what he did...but you cannot kill him."
Her aura erupted. Even beaten and scarred, she stood unbroken, a wall of laughing iron.
"Why not?! He's a demon! If you want to stop me, then fight me too. But one of us is dying today."
Then came the laughter. Deep, raw, unsettling. Azakh-Tur doubled over, shoulders shaking.
"How absolutely moronic! You humans are fucking pitiful, do you know that? Look at you—torn, conflicted. It's almost sad."
Grimm rattled on his master's crown, bones clicking in rhythm with the laughter. The broodlings clutched their ears, hissing. Snare trembled; his first taste of that laugh was a wound in itself.
Concrete cracked under Min's boot. Veins bulged, crawling her body like flood dragons as she drew on her strength.
The demon only laughed harder.
"Tell me, Min—did you really believe him? Are you truly that nieve?"
"Stop talking! Prepare to—"
"He lied to you. He never meant to keep his promise."
Her stance faltered.
"Liar! You won't trick me—"
Azakh-Tur's flesh shifted. Black skin drained pale, claws dulled to nails. Seo-jin's face surfaced, calm and sickly human.
"You're right to blame me. I killed your Seo-jin. When he staggered back from torture, when he clung to hope—I ripped it from him. I can still taste it."
Gregor's gut twisted, acid climbing his throat. His stress was giving him an ulcer.
"If you are trying to calm her down, you are doing shit job."
"Why won't you shut up and fight?!"
Min's patience shattered. Behind her, the phantom of her Titan Shark tore into shape, massive and wild. Her eyes flared gold, bright enough to burn.
Seo-jin didn't flinch. No stance. No warning. The Brood stayed where they were, his command pulsing through their heads like a lock. Only his smile moved.
"Do you remember the World Event, Min? That's when it all turned. Remember? When you started licking boots. When the Dead Hands began running product."
Her response barely rose above a whisper, low and shaking.
"Stop using his memories."
"You're ready to throw your life away for a lie. He meant to keep his word—in the beginning. But the Kings were too strong. He saw it. He gave up. Everything he did after was just a way to crawl under their skirts. You were betrayed."
"Lies!"
She launched forward, the phantom shark folding into her strike, jaws snapping around her fist.
Seo-jin didn't dodge. He'd already read her body. Tension in the hips, weight too high. At the last heartbeat he pivoted, caught her arm and ripped her over his shoulder.
Boom!
The throw punched them both through the floor. Concrete cracked, steel rods snapped like bone, another boom thundered as they hit the level below in a rain of dust and rebar.
Gregor and the Brood surged to the edge. Grimm hovered beside Snare, silent and jittering, his skull trembling as they stared down.
Below, Seo-jin's voice cut out cold, steady through the haze.
"You're holding back, human. You know I'm telling the truth. You've seen what I am. You've watched my Brood slaughter. I don't want to kill you, Min, but I'm done with this show. If you really want to die, stop hiding behind the theatrics of a duel."
Dust peeled away from the pit. Min lay pinned, her back bent into broken concrete, Seo-jin crouched over her, claws drawn to a point, and poised against her temple.
Above, everyone froze. No one saw Gregor's pistols come up, barrels steady, eyes hard.
"Answer, Big Min. Will you keep clinging to the fantasy…or accept the truth?"
He leaned down until only she could hear.
"Your only way back…is with me."