CHAPTER 189: 189. MUTATION AGAIN

The acting leader looked up, his heart thumping. Blood dripping from an identical hole in his skull, the body of another mercenary hung high in the branches, swaying gently.

The leader started to yell, but his words were cut short when a hot chain whipped around his neck. With vicious force, it jerked him upward, choking out a guttural snarl as he clawed at the chain, his boots scraping the bark.

With his dark cloak flaring like a storm, Leo launched himself from a nearby tree. Only his crimson eyes, which blazed with icy focus, were visible through his black neck mask. The blade of his chained blood dagger sliced through the air as it gleamed.

It cut off the leader’s head in a single motion, sending the head and torso crashing to the ground and settling among the leaves with lifeless thuds.

Drawn by the sound, the three mercenaries that remained ran back, skidding to a stop upon seeing the body of their leader.

One gasped, his hands trembling as he gazed at the headless body, "Gods, no!" Their stomachs twisted with fear as their gaze strayed to the trees.

A chain snagged one mercenary’s waist as it swung out from the darkness before they could react. He thrashed in the air as it yanked him upward with terrifying speed, his scream resonating through the forest.

The cry was cut off by a sickening crunch as the others looked up, their weapons raised. The mercenary’s body fell back to the ground, his eyes staring blankly and his neck twisted at an odd angle.

"Who is doing this?!" As he swung his sword wildly at the darkness, the second mercenary let out a shout, his voice breaking. "Show yourself!"

Sweat trickled down his brow as the final mercenary retreated, his face whitened. With his sword quivering, he muttered, "We’re being hunted."

He was pulled into the treetops by a chain that swung out and wrapped around his leg. There was an unsettling silence after his scream was abruptly cut off. He never came back.

The final mercenary turned and fled, his breaths ragged, his screams echoing as branches scratched his face. He sensed something behind him—fast, relentless, moving through the trees like a predator.

He glanced back and saw Leo, his cloak a dark blur, his crimson eyes glinting in the low light.

Panic seized the mercenary as he staggered, but it was too late. With deadly aim, Leo’s chained dagger flew through the air as it flashed. The mercenary’s body fell into the bushes as it pierced his heart, dropping him in the middle of his stride.

With a flick of his wrist, Leo pulled the chain back and the bloody dagger returned to his hand as he landed gently next to the body. His crimson eyes scanned the silent forest, his smirk as sharp as the blade.

The silence shattered with a faint, unnatural twitch.

Leo’s crimson eyes narrowed.

The mercenary he’d killed jerked violently, limbs spasming. Bones snapped and flesh bulged, the corpse swelling into a grotesque, hulking monster twice its original size. Its eyes glowed a wicked red, locking onto Leo with a deep snarl.

The other bodies stirred, their shapes twisting horribly. The beheaded mercenary rose, clutching its severed head in a clawed hand, writhing tendrils sprouting from its neck. Another grew jagged, bone-like claws, its skin steaming with unnatural heat.

Leo’s smirk vanished, his mind flashing to the Prison of Treachery. "Not this again," he growled under his breath.

******

At Point B, the clearing was a blood-soaked mess, the grass slick and littered with the torn remains of five mercenaries Lucian had cut down. His cloak dripped red, his chest heaved, anger simmering beneath his calm front.

They’d come for his brother—and now Velmera. His gray eyes burned as they fixed on the last mercenary, a broken figure writhing in the grass, missing a hand and a leg, spitting curses through pained gasps.

With slow, methodical movements, Lucian sheathed swords and walked toward the man. Grabbing a handful of the mercenary’s hair, he pulled him across the bloody field in the direction of the longsword pierced in the middle of the clearing.

With a low, deadly snarl, Lucian leaned in and forced the man’s throat against the edge of the blade. "Who sent you? Why are we the targets? Speak."

The mercenary’s defiance hiding his fear as he choked out plenty of curses, his words slurred and useless. Lucian lost his patience. He grabbed the man’s staying hand, pressed it to the edge of the longsword, and sliced.

Fingers fell with a wet crunch, the mercenary’s scream echoing through the forest. "Answer me!" Lucian roared, his voice raw with fury. "Who’s behind this?"

Before the man could speak, his body convulsed, flesh bubbling as his severed limbs began to regrow in a grotesque surge. Lucian jumped back, his eyes widening as the other corpses stirred, their forms twisting into monstrous shapes—tendrils writhing, claws sprouting, eyes glowing red.

His brother’s warning echoed in his mind: Never linger near the bodies. The mutated corpse lunged, its steaming, deformed arm swinging toward Lucian’s head with crushing force.

*******

At Rin’s position, the forest seemed to close in, the air thick with danger. She stood rigid, her staff gripped tightly. A group of white-masked cult members formed a tight ring around her and Gregor.

Gregor trembled beside her, his eyes wide with dread as he felt the overwhelming power radiating from the figures.

A single masked figure advanced, his voice flat and icy, his movements uncannily fluid. "Rin Valarune, the Priest’s chosen vessel, surrender now. Resistance is futile."

Rin’s heart was racing with a mixture of defiance and fear, and her pink eyes were blazing. She took a step forward and buried her staff in the ground.

"Vessel? Priest? What sort of bullshit are you saying?" Despite the tremor in her chest, her voice was steady and sharp.

The man in the mask tilted his head, his voice cold and unwavering. "Your defiance is noted, but irrelevant. The Will demands you. Comply, or we will take you by force."