A Universe of Bloody Evolution

They separated not long after Lily's promise and sat down next to each other, staring into nothingness. The silence dragged on and on, but Leo didn't try to break it—there was still some time before the night, and his sister could use those few minutes of peace to think things through.

'It went better than I expected,' Nyx spoke suddenly in his head. 'I honestly thought you would go harder on her.'

There's no point. He closed his eyes. I said what I needed. The rest is on her. I just hope she will remember this.

'We will see about that.'

Yeah... He sighed. We will...

Lily must have heard his long exhale. "Are you still mad at me?" she muttered.

Leo opened his eyes, turning a bit to look at his sister. "Mad?" He shook his head. "No. Not really. I just want you to keep your promise, that's all." He raised his hand before she could speak up. "You don't have to repeat yourself. Actions speak louder than words and all that shit."

"Of course you would say something like that." The woman chuckled quietly. "But you were right... If not for you and Nyx, I would have gone alone. I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if I didn't."

"You still want to go yourself," he stated more than asked.

"Aye." She nodded, hugging her knees to her chest. "What kind of person orders their brother to slaughter other people? Bloody fuck, there is a special place in hell for me."

Leo nudged her on the shoulder, forcing her to look at him. "We're already in hell, sis. I don't think we need another one."

Lily let out a weak snort. "Still... It should be me."

He sighed again. "You will get your chance, just not this time. Let the monster do the dirty work while you lead your people to safety."

"Stop it. You're not a monster," she hissed.

"Oh, but I am, and I'm okay with that. This is the path I chose." He offered her the best smile he could in this form. "Now, enough with the heavy stuff. Tell me more about your plan for tomorrow. I understand the general idea, but I would like to know how you want everything to go without a hitch."

Lily perked up, her expression doing a complete one-eighty. "It's pretty straightforward, all things considered. Once the sun rises, you, Nyx, and a few runners will take positions across London. In the meantime, Malcolm and I will lead our group through the metro tunnels as far as we can—there, we will wait for your signal."

Leo furrowed his brow. "Wait. My signal? Nyx didn't mention that."

"Whose else?" She rolled her eyes. "Someone has to start the chain of explosions once Payne's people will go inside the nests. As you and Nyx will be the ones watching them, you have to give the signal. Simple, right?"

"Of course," he muttered. "So there goes my element of surprise. Once shit starts to explode, they will be more cautious."

"You will still have five minutes to do some damage before the bombs go off. With your abilities, it should be more than enough. I'm more concerned about Nyx."

"Don't be." He waved her off. "She will probably deal with them faster than me. My new size isn't exactly good for in-door fighting."

Lily winced. "I completely forgot about that."

He snorted. "You don't say. I will be fine, though. I have the entire night to prepare, at least... Anyway, once we're done with Payne's people, do you want us to join up with you or stick around for a little bit longer?"

"The latter. If there is even the slightest chance that Payne can track you to us, I don't want to risk it. Do what you want for a few hours, or even go back straight to Wolford. Just don't come close to us."

"Got ya." He nodded. "I will send Nyx to you, though. If that fucker hasn't found her till now, I doubt he can do it. I'm most likely the only one at risk thanks to the shard in my chest. I bet Geron can somehow track it."

"Probably," Lily agreed, standing up and dusting off her clothes. "I will see you tomorrow in Wolford, okay?"

Leo also jumped to his feet and offered her another grin. "Definitely. Good luck, and be careful."

As she turned toward the metro's exit, she looked over her shoulder and smiled. "I should be the one saying that... Take care and give them hell, Leo."

"I will," he vowed, watching her walk up the stairs. A moment after she disappeared from sight, Nyx stepped on the stairway and trotted toward him.

'Everything's good?' the feline asked, tilting her head.

"As good as it can be," he replied with a shrug. "We have the rest of the night to plan for tomorrow. Which nest do you want, by the way?"

'The hospital,' she answered instantly. 'I always wanted to hit that place, and I'm better suited for it anyway.'

"That's fair. My recent growth spurt could be a real problem there," he muttered, looking down at his body. "So Westfield London shopping center is mine... I will need some minions for that."

'Koukars?'

He nodded. "Koukars."

---

Here they come, Leo called over the link, watching a group of almost twenty humans run across the rooftops to reach the massive shopping center. I'm counting one Winged Emissary and sixteen Blessed. Not bad.

'What about their levels?' Nyx asked.

He quickly fired off Identify again and hummed. Nothing too concerning. Twenty-seven is their highest.

'It should be a walk in the park then.'

If I play my cards right, then yeah. Let's not jinx it, though. As the Emissaries filtered into the nest, he averted his gaze, scanning the area for anything he might have missed. How is it going on your end? See anything?

'No. Do you think they switched targets? Maybe...'

As she trailed off, Leo frowned. Nyx? What's going on?

'I see them,' she quickly informed. 'Only ten, but they also have a Winged Emissary among them. They are weaker than your group.'

Got it. Let them inside. I will set up my minions around the exits here in the meantime. Ready yourself.

'I'm always ready,' she hissed, her bloodlust seeping into their link. 'Hurry up. I don't want them to go too deep before I follow.'

Leo rolled his eyes. Give me a minute.

Without waiting for an answer, he closed their link for a moment and focused on the connection to the ten Koukars he stole from the Supercluster. After a few whispered orders, the insect flew out of the building below him and went straight for the exits he had scouted yesterday.

Two for each should be enough. He nodded and quickly took the single Crystallized Bomb out of his soul. With a flick of Essence, he ignited the improved fuse and threw it into the air with all his might.

Nyx, we are on. Move out.

'Finally.'

Their link closed once more, but Leo didn't care as he fired off a focused Hunter's Pulse. Instantly, seventeen golden trails appeared before him, and he grinned as he followed the shortest one.

So they have someone on watch. Very well.

With practiced ease, he dropped from his vantage point and slowly approached the nearest entrance to the shopping center turned Voidling nest. He also reinforced Stealth Shroud, making sure it wouldn't fail in such a crucial moment.

Warning! You are nearing the Cursed Nest. Threat assessed and ranked at level E+. Good Luck.

Yeah, yeah, I already know that. He grumbled, dismissing the notification. He had done enough scouting yesterday to know that this place housed all kinds of Cursed monsters. Sure, it was a surprise to learn that nests like that could exist, but in the end, he wasn't here for the Voidlings.

This was a different kind of hunt...

The blades upon his arms extended as Leo slipped through the large opening that once functioned as the main entrance to this place. Vetilim surrounded him from each side, forming walls and ceilings that previously weren't there.

The Void really had turned the entire shopping center into a vast maze. Thankfully, each corridor and room he had scouted was more than large enough to fit him.

All right, my first target should be right... here!

The moment he turned the corner, a lone Blessed Emissary appeared in his sight. The man stood in the middle of the Vetilim tunnel, his sword drawn as his eyes scanned the path ahead.

Now, while Leo could easily rush the guy and kill him without much struggle, he didn't want to risk detection just yet. He still had over three minutes before the first explosion would occur. As such, he reached into his soul and summoned a handful of shadow affinity.

He touched the ground and smiled.

Go forth, Consume.