Chapter 79 - 78 : Blood in the streets (4)

Volt hit the ground like a thunderclap. The street shattered under him, asphalt bursting upward as if struck by lightning from the inside out. Sparks bled from his wings, arcing over his twitching body, his chest rising and falling in ragged spasms. He tried to stand. His claws dug trenches into the pavement, his feathers sparking, wings twitching with unstable currents. But the Hybrid was already there. Its monstrous silhouette blurred in front of him, its twisted heel already rising. "STAY—DOWN!" The heel came down like a guillotine. BOOM! Volt’s chest caved into the asphalt. The earth buckled, spiderweb cracks splitting the street apart. The force rattled my bones even from a dozen meters away. Volt’s scream tore out of him—half-electric roar, half animal agony. My gut dropped like a stone. If Volt couldn’t stand against this thing, what the hell were we supposed to do? "VOLT!" Ye-Rin’s scream split the night. I whipped my head around just in time to see her leap off a pile of rubble, axe in both hands, her entire body coiled like a spring. Her boots slammed against the cracked pavement as she sprinted, glass crunching under her soles. Her eyes weren’t sharp and focused like usual—they were burning, reckless, alive with rage. "Get away from him!" Her axe arced down, a silver comet with enough force to cut through a truck. The Hybrid’s body warped mid-motion, veins twisting outward, bone and blood shifting like liquid steel. Its arm stretched into a jagged crimson blade that clashed against the axe with an ear-splitting screech. CRASH! The impact threw sparks in every direction, lighting the battlefield like a storm of fireworks. Ye-Rin didn’t back down. She pressed forward, veins bulging in her neck, every muscle straining. Volt’s groan echoed under her war cry, the two sounds mixing into one dreadful symphony. Meanwhile— Seo-Yeon. She wasn’t herself anymore. Her eyes blazed crimson, glowing cracks spreading down her face like molten rivers. Her hair whipped in an invisible gale, the air itself vibrating around her. Her hands rose slowly, trembling but steady in intent. The battlefield warped. "Seo-Yeon—don’t!" In-ji shouted, voice cracking through the chaos. But she didn’t hear him. The world buckled. Steel beams tore free of collapsed buildings, cars groaned as they levitated, whole slabs of asphalt ripped upward like they were paper. The weight of it made the air hum, a low-frequency drone that vibrated my teeth. Her jaw clenched. Her fists tightened. "CRUSH—ZONE!!" The air imploded. The Behemoth nearest her—hulking, drooling, eyes like pits—didn’t even get to roar. It was flattened instantly, bones snapping outward like shrapnel. Its ribcage split open before its body crumpled into a grotesque pancake of gore. The sound was sickening. Wet. Final. Even the Baron stopped mid-step. His red gaze flicked toward her, unreadable for once. Seo-Yeon staggered. Her chest heaved like she’d swallowed fire. Her body shook violently, veins bulging as if they’d burst. "Seo-Yeon!" In-Ji was there before anyone else, sprinting into the bloodstorm. His revolvers cracked. BANG! BANG! BANG! Each shot exploding through a vampire’s skull. She reloaded mid-roll, kicking off broken concrete as another lunged. "In-Ji, fall back!" I shouted. "Shut up!" he barked back, teeth bared. Her breathing was ragged, desperate. "If she drops, we’re ALL dead!" He spun, unloading six rounds into a cluster of shrieking bloodspawn, smoke swirling around him. But he was too close. A vampire’s claws raked across his side, cutting through her coat, flesh, and muscle all at once. Blood splattered. "In-Ji!" I moved without thinking, wings spreading— But he stayed on his feet. He pressed his palm against the wound, revolver raised in the other, glaring at the vampire through bloodied teeth. "Don’t... you dare... touch her!" he snarled, and put a bullet through its eye. Across the battlefield—Hyun-Tae. He was cornered, panting hard, shotgun trembling in his grip. His face was pale, his hair plastered to his forehead with sweat. And yet—he didn’t run. He slammed his hand against Boom Boom’s barrel. "Wake up, you useless piece of junk!" he yelled, half-snarling, half-pleading. "We’re dead if you don’t! Come on—just once more!" The shotgun pulsed faintly. Hyun-Tae froze. The runes etched across its frame flickered weakly, like a dying heart restarting. His eyes widened. "...Heh. Finally." His lips curled into a crazed grin. "Took you long enough." The weapon *growled.* Not a mechanical hum—an animal rumble. A living, hungry beast. Hyun-Tae laughed. "That’s more like it, big guy. One last dance." The barrel glowed red-hot. He aimed straight at a cluster of vampires. Pulled the trigger. KA-BOOM. The street detonated. The blast was less a gunshot and more an artillery shell. Four vampires evaporated into red mist instantly, their limbs scattering like confetti across burning cars. Hyun-Tae staggered back, panting hard, shoulders trembling from the recoil. And still—he laughed, breathless and manic. "Y-Yeah! That’s it! That’s what I’m talking about!" Boom Boom hummed once more before falling silent, smoke hissing from its barrel. Hyun-Tae kissed it like a lover, whispering, "Goodnight, buddy." And me? I was being strangled by my own blood. The Baron’s power sank deeper every second, threads of liquid crimson slithering through the cuts on my body. Every step I took, every flap of my wings, every strike—it felt like I was moving through cement. He didn’t even need to try. His smirk told me that much. "You’re breaking, Shin Ye-Jun." I spat blood, feathers flaring around me like a storm. "I’ll break your teeth first." I hurled the storm at him, feathers slicing like a thousand blades. He waved his hand. They scattered like dust. A whip of blood lashed out and cracked across my cheek, hot and stinging. Behind him, Behemoths regrouped. Volt was still trapped under the Hybrid’s foot, twitching, sparking, dying. And then—Mother. She stumbled forward. Face pale. Eyes hollow. But still standing. Her lips moved, whispering words no god would claim. "Mother—stop!" I yelled. "You’ll kill yourself!" She ignored me. Her hands rose, trembling violently, black glyphs crawling up her skin. Veins bulged. Her scream tore into the night. "CURSE—OF SENSELESS!" The world cracked. Shadows surged upward, chains of black mist wrapping around the Baron. They forced their way into his eyes, his chest, his very blood. For the first time—he faltered. His expression flickered. "Now, Ye-Jun!" Mother’s voice broke as she collapsed to her knees, coughing blood. I didn’t hesitate. My wings spread, feathers glowing white-hot. I shaped them into a blade—jagged, burning, divine and broken all at once. And I charged. The blade drove through his chest. Impact. Crimson splattered across the ruined street. The Aristocrat staggered back, choking, staring at the hole carved into him. For one breath, one single heartbeat—he wasn’t smiling. I exhaled, chest heaving. "Got you." But then— The smirk returned. "You think you’re the only one who gets second chances?" His body rippled. The wound bubbled. My feathers melted into red liquid. And just like that—his chest sealed shut. The blood I spilled slithered back into him like time had reversed. My stomach plummeted. "No..." "Yes." His grin widened, fangs glistening. "I don’t just drink blood. I am blood." He lifted his arms. And all at once—every drop of blood on the battlefield rose. Ours. Volt’s. The vampires’. Even the Behemoth’s. A red rain hovered in the air, glittering like ruby dust under the burning skyline. Seo-Yeon was barely standing. In-Ji bleeding out. Hyun-Tae swaying. Mi-Sun on her knees. Ye-Rin screaming as the Hybrid pressed her into the dirt. Volt twitching, sparks flickering out. And me. All of us—cornered. The Aristocrat spread his hands. The floating blood hardened into thousands of glistening crimson spikes. "Die together."