Chapter 260: He Is Brood
Watching the giant robot get skewered by hundreds of black spears, Snare felt the tension from watching the fight leave his muscles, only for a heavier weight to settle in his chest. With Ash's robot destroyed, there was nothing left standing between Blight and his prize.
Looking over, Snare saw that Tomb had recovered, his massive form once again standing among the rubble, but his bow hadn't survived. Asking Synapse to create another while maintaining the Broodfather's protection was out of the question. Snare ground his teeth, refusing to accept defeat. Knowing they were beaten was one thing. Accepting it was another.
Fortunately, everyone had gathered and stood waiting for his next orders. Finding Bug and John among his siblings was easy enough.
"Which one of you would need to eat the other to gain the most strength?"
The two insect demons turned toward each other. Bug's chintinous body shifted among the crawling mass of insects swarming around her feet, while John's armor clicked as the swarm within him stirred. Both slowly looked back at Snare.
"Huh?"
"Huh?!"
John seemed considerably more disturbed by the question than Bug, though the confusion on their faces was much the same.
"Your power came from her—if she eats you, or vice versa, there's a chance one of you could grow stronger. Correct?!"
The two insect demons exchanged another look, their respective swarms twitching uneasily as neither seemed particularly eager to answer.
A hand settled on Snare's shoulder, pulling him back slightly.
"That will not be enough, and you know it. Both of their powers are insufficient, even combined."
Synapse's voice remained steady, the fluid inside the vat on his back bubbling quietly. His assessment was plain to see. Though John had hit A-rank, he had just stepped into it. Bug on the other hand was still only C, Seo-jin hadn't allowed Law or her to use pots to reach A-rank since they hadn't evolved yet on their own. They had leveled considerably, but nowhere near enough.
"I am not proficient with this type of thinking, so I would appreciate it if you would refrain from losing your composure. We all need you thinking clearly."
Around them, the rest of the Brood seemed to release a collective breath. Judging by their expressions, they had all noticed Snare growing desperate, and apparently shared Synapse's concerns.
Seeing their reactions, Snare felt the weight of their expectations pressing down on him. His claws tightened at his sides...for a moment, he'd forgotten how he'd managed to carry that responsibility until now.
It wouldn't happen again.
His eyes glowing, Snare turned back toward the battle, desperate to locate Blight as his mind began calculating their remaining options. That's when a flash of color caught his attention, drawing a low growl from his throat.
"The curse has taken over Ash. It won't be long, but while he deals with Blight, we need—"
"No!"
Turning sharply, Snare's expression twisted as Widow stepped forward. Her black dress shifted around her legs, and the spider-like appendages protruding from her back flexed as she approached. His voice lowered as his irritation bled through.
"What do you mean, no?"
She didn't flinch at his tone or the look he gave her. Instead, she stepped closer, all six of her eyes meeting his without hesitation.
"Ash is Brood. He needs help."
"Help?"
The very idea was almost laughable. Their priority was the Broodfather. It always had been, and always would be. Whatever happened to Ash was dog piss in comparison. Yet, as he looked across his siblings' faces, he found expressions he hadn't expected.
They were worried.
"I'll go get him."
Before anyone could object, Panic started walking. His restraints shifted around his narrow torso, the strips of living flesh trailing behind him as he headed toward the battle.
Snare felt his head begin to spin, heat crept up the back of his neck as he watched his brother leave.
"No one is helping him! We need to—"
A sharp crack interrupted him as Slims snapped a rib free. With the bone-arrow in hand, he jogged after Panic.
"Wait up!"
Widow's mouth spread into a wide smile, all eyes lighting up as she hurried after.
"It was my idea!"
Snare's claws curled into fists. He was just about ready to beat something to death, and had opened his mouth to scream at them when someone beat him to it.
It was Ash, and his voice wasn't his.
----
Everything was red, yet somehow as distant as the clouds in the sky. Ash was trapped inside his own mind, forced to watch through his own eyes as his body moved without him. It took a while to understand what was happening, and knowing did nothing to make it easier.
Especially since being trapped inside his own body offered no protection from the pain it was suffering.
Midas's Touch. Baal's curse. Ash had let his rage overwhelm him. Watching Triss being devoured piece by piece had been too much. Even now, as he was forced to watch himself fight like a crazed beast, the sight of her limbs being torn away repeatedly flashed through his mind.
The worst part was that he couldn't even scream.
His hands had become thick golden claws, his fingers ending in sharp points that dug into the ruined street whenever he landed. His entire body was covered in gold, stretched tight over muscles that had swollen far beyond their normal size. His head was bald, with two horns jutting from his skull, while long fangs crowded a mouth twisted into a permanent snarl.
The curse controlled his body, moving him like a wild animal, charging on all fours before launching at Blight with its claws spread wide. There was no thought behind its attacks, no attempt to defend itself. It simply wanted to reach the demon and tear him apart.
And Blight seemed more annoyed than anything.
"This is getting repetitive."
Floating just beyond Ash's reach, Blight held Triss's mangled body by the scruff of her neck. What remained of her limbs hung beneath her while her blood continued to pour, turning into purple vapor as it hit the ground.
Ash didn't want to look.
"Oh? Is this the problem?"
Blight extended his arm, dangling Triss in front of him.
Ash's body immediately lunged.
For a moment, he thought his body might actually reach. He watched his claws stretch toward her, close enough that he could almost imagine feeling her fur between his fingers.
Then something struck him across the chest.
His body went flying, smashing through the remains of a building before tumbling across the street. Pain tore through him as broken stone and rebar scraped against his golden skin, and he felt a bone in his neck shift in a way it shouldn't.
He screamed—or tried to.
No!...Stop!...Please!
The words existed only inside his head.
He couldn't even try to help as Blight turned his attention on Grimm. He watched as giant black hands of smoke gripped the ghost and tore him from the sky. Ripping a handful of his tendrils off, Blight tossed both halfs into the distance.
Ash's golden claws dug into the pavement, and with another furious roar, he charged straight back toward Blight.
The demon just laughed.
"Again? Very well."
He held Triss out a little farther, almost within reach, before casually pulling her away as Ash leaped—another attack caught him midair, driving him into the ground hard.
He felt every fucking bit of it.
The pressure of the impact. The sharp pain running through his back. The horrible sensation of his body forcing itself back up when everything inside him was begging it to stay down.
No matter how bad it hurt, his body didn't need his permission.
It charged again. And again.
Every time Blight dangled Triss in front of him, the curse responded. It didn't matter how badly he was broken or how obvious the trap had become. His body lunged for her, only to be struck down before it could reach her.
Blight was thoroughly enjoying himself now.
"Oh, this is marvelous! Such determination from something so thoroughly outmatched. Baal might have outdone himself."
Another blow sent the child crashing through the rubble.
"How long, I wonder, can that shiny, little body of yours endure?"
Ash didn't know.
Blood leaked from him everywhere. It ran from his mouth, dripped from his claws, and spilled from gashs so deep his bones showed. Each time he landed, more splattered across the ground.
He could feel himself dying.
He knew his body couldn't keep doing this, yet the curse refused to stop. Inside his mind, Ash was begging...but no one could hear him.
Another impact tore through his shoulder, and the pain was so intense that his thoughts scattered. For several seconds, there was nothing but the horrible feeling of his bones grinding together.
He had never been this scared. Not even when his father had done his worst.
Ash began to remember those nights in violent bursts. The smell of alcohol, the sound of heavy footsteps, and the fear that came whenever his father entered the room. He remembered being hurt so badly that he'd thought he was going to die.
But even then, he'd been able to scream. He'd been able to curl up and try to protect himself. Here, he couldn't do anything.
Another roar tore from his bloody throat as he launched himself toward Triss, and Blight answered with another casual strike.
The impact sounded wet, and his vision went dark. When he could see again, his body was already moving.
Eventually...something inside him began to give.
His body was already broken. This was something deeper. He stopped begging for the pain to stop. He stopped trying to fight the curse. For the first time, he understood—none of it mattered.
This was torture, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
Another blow struck, but he barely registered where it landed. He felt the pain, knew something else had broken, yet his mind was already slipping away from it.
With the last of what will remained, he tried to remember something good.
Anything...
"—he bit me!"
"Careful, he's bleeding everywhere!"
Familiar voices reached him through the fog, faint at first, but close enough that he could almost make out who they belonged to.
He struggled to pull himself free of the darkness swallowing his thoughts. Slowly, his mind began to clear, and Widow's face came into focus above him, her many eyes staring down at him.
Just as everything finally went black.
----
Explosions of sound filled the air while Panic's restraints cracked toward Blight in rapid succession. With his A-rank strength behind them, each snap produced a sonic boom, yet not one managed to touch the demon.
Above, a massive web spread across the sky before dropping like a led weight over Blight. The thick strands wrapped tight, but the Warlord hardly seemed bothered until the smell of alcohol reached his nose.
"Tricks—"
A flaming bone-arrow struck the ground, igniting the dwarf-ale-soaked web in an instant.
They knew it wouldn't do shit, but it didn't need to hurt him.
A sudden eruption of aura made Blight lift his head, just in time to see a giant foot—
Tomb had used the moment the fire ignited to grow into his giant form, his enormous leg already swinging through the air. His timing was practically perfect.
An arc of black smoke trailed off into the distance.
They knew all of this was futile. Even as they subdued Ash and Widow bound him in her web, they understood how little they'd accomplished. They hurried back with Tomb watching their retreat, knowing their efforts had done nothing to stop what was coming.
But Ash was Brood. He wouldn't die alone.
Widow held the boy tightly as he kicked and bucked against her. At first, she had to use considerable force to keep him still, but she maintained her gentle smile as his struggles gradually weakened. His violent jerking slowed, and the gold covering his skin began to recede as his body returned to normal.
'Sin, Ash needs you!'
Screaming through the broodlink, Widow felt her brother's response and immediately took an enormous leap forward. Her dress billowed around her as she soared through the air, her many eyes quickly locating him. She fired a strand of web toward the ground beside him and yanked herself down.
Her giant spider legs burst from her back, spreading wide to absorb the impact as she landed.
Setting Ash down, she carefully removed his bindings. Her jaw tightened at the sight that was revealed. Nearly every inch of him was heavily wounded, and his limbs rested at angles they had no business bending. Looking at him, it was difficult to imagine a single bone hadn't been broken.
They had brought him back, but barely.
Sin immediately knelt beside the boy, opened his book, and began to pray.
"In the beginning was the Maw, and upon its wretched earth lay the filth of creation. From its depths arose the Broodfather, born of ash and suffering. He broke the false dominion of the System, cast aside its chains, and took sovereignty by His own hand..."
As he read, bloodlight poured from the open pages, falling over Ash's battered body.
Satisfied that Sin had begun his work, Widow turned to check on Tomb—
"No—"
The giant was running toward them, his enormous feet pounding against the ground. The moment Widow looked his way, she spotted Blight floating just above him, wearing that same horrible smile.
Tomb hadn't noticed him.
A giant black hand rose above Blight, ready to strike, when a mass of yellow shot through the air like a bullet and slammed right into him.
The two figures went crashing through the city for blocks before plunging into the coastline. Yellow and black collided beneath the waves, sending up an explosion that shook the ocean.
Widow wasn't nearly as good at following a battle as Snare, but with her many eyes, she'd managed to catch a glimpse of whatever had struck the demon. Even then, she could hardly believe what she'd seen.
"It looked like her... when did Min get so strong?"
A howl suddenly tore through the night, carrying across the ruined city. The moment she heard it, any doubt she had disappeared. For some reason, she knew exactly who had made that sound.
It was Min.
And she was pissed.