"It's time to depart."
Li Mu adjusted his grip on his luggage and stepped toward the citadel's entrance.
Around him, people moved in steady streams—pairs, small groups, all converging toward the same destination.
Their garments shimmered in countless colors, armor catching the light in flashes of steel and gold. Against the towering citadel, they looked small.
"Bloody Blade Corps…" Li Mu murmured, glancing at the letter in his hand. "I wonder what you have in store."
A sudden gust tore through the courtyard.
Wind howled.
Leaves spiraled upward. Grass bent low. Petals scattered like fragments of broken color.
Above—
Something descended.
A fortress.
Floating.
Resting upon the back of a colossal mechanical dragon, a grand palace loomed in the sky.
Its sheer presence crushed the air, pressing down on everything below.
"Truly… a marvel of arcane engineering," Li Mu said softly.
The grandeur of the Li Clan knew no bounds.
Murmurs spread.
Then—
Silence.
The crowd parted.
A young man stepped forward.
Blue hair, vivid as the sky. Eyes—blood-red, unnatural, gleaming with something unhinged
Step.
Step.
He stopped before Li Mu.
A breath passed between them.
"Can you satisfy me?" the young man asked.
His smile widened.
"I've waited a long time to meet the fated half-blood Mother spoke of."
The air tightened.
"It seems you inherited our eyes," he continued. "Being a clone must not have been easy."
Li Mu exhaled slowly, pulling out a cloth to wipe his face.
"Are you done?"
Silence.
Then—
"Yes."
In an instant—
A hand shot forward.
Squelch.
A thin cut opened across Li Mu's forehead.
At the same time, a strand of blue hair drifted downward.
Then another.
Li Mu's gaze didn't change.
The young man laughed.
Wild.
Unrestrained.
"You made me bleed… truly, my brother."
His grin widened.
"I am Li Chen."
He turned.
"The ship is about to depart. I don't have time for you now. But in the Blood Blade Corps…"
A pause.
"…we'll have all the time in the world."
He walked away.
Li Mu watched him go, expression unreadable.
"…Why is there not a single sane person in this family?"
He sighed, then continued forward.
Two days later.
Silence.
For the first time in a long while, Li Mu had known peace.
The palace drifted above the clouds. Meals arrived without fail.
"Delicacies from morning to evening…" he murmured from his seat by the window. "How enjoyable."
Then—
Darkness.
The lights vanished.
The room was swallowed whole.
From the walls—
They emerged.
Grotesque figures crawled into existence, flesh splitting, bodies swollen with rot. Their movements gut renching.
Li Mu did not move.
He calmly watched
Slowly, he reached into his luggage and pulled out the letter.
The moment it appeared—
The air changed.
Killing intent flooded the room.
Heavy.
Suffocating.
Screams followed.
Not human.
Souls—countless, writhing, clawing toward the letter as if drawn by something absolute.
Li Mu's eyes narrowed.
"I knew you wouldn't make it simple… you old bastard."
The creatures crept closer.
Crack!
The seal broke.
A foul stench burst outward.
Frost spread across his fingers as the paper turned ice-cold.
He unfolded it.
Budump.
Budump.
Budump.
Elsewhere in the palace—
Screams echoed.
Steel clashed.
Bodies fell.
Amidst the chaos—
A figure walked.
Step.
Step.
A low hum followed, growing louder with each movement.
A black mask covered its face, swallowing even the light.
"Oh… the Li Clan's little insects are suffering."
A soft laugh.
"My children must be enjoying themselves."
It stopped before a door.
"Room 224…"
A pause.
"When killing someone…"
"…one must have style."
Knock.
Inside Room 224—
A heart lay on the floor.
Still beating.
Li Mu stood over it, reading.
"Her heart…"
A pause.
"I did not want mother and son to be separated on such a long journey."
Silence.
"Happy birthday, son."
For a moment—
Nothing.
Then—
Something in his eyes shifted.
Not pain.
Not rage.
Absence.
He bent down slowly.
Picked up the heart.
And took a bite.
Budump.
Blood surged through him.
His vision turned red— Crystallized blood filled his eyes.
Something snapped.
Or perhaps—
Something was let go
"Finally…"
A breath.
"My last shackle has been removed."
Knock.
Li Mu turned.
A smile spread across his face.
Calm.
Wrong.
The door clicked open.
"Good morning," he said softly.
The masked figure froze.
"You…" Li Mu tilted his head slightly. "You should make a fine vessel for one of my experiments."
Before it could react—
A hand shot forward.
Grip.
Its neck was seized instantly.
Click.
The door shut.
And inside—
Something far worse than death began.