Published at 15th of August 2026 7:05 am

Chapter 237: We Are Brood

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

Chapter 237: We Are Brood

Stepping out of the temporary shelter, Seo-jin was immediately greeted by the smell of iron. Blood had been spilled in large amounts everywhere he looked, soaking the ground, and even now, more continued to spill.

The brood was still training.

Sounds of struggle filled the night air. They had broken off into groups, each working to fill the gaps Seo-jin had pointed out during their spar. After Pain, his bouts with the rest of his children had been easier, something Pain took pride in, but every one of them had glaring flaws. More importantly, none had quite figured out the true lesson behind their training. Pain was the only one who'd come close.

It wasn't strength that won a fight. It wasn't experience or talent. It was something more primal than that.

Looking over them as bodies collided and blood hit the ground, Seo-jin had no intention of giving them the answer. They'd have to learn it the hard way.

'Where are they?'

'Directly south of us. One is atop that large tree. The rest are gathered at its base.'

'Keep training. I won't be long.'

'As you wish, Broodfather.'

Letting the cool night air run across his blackened skin a moment longer, Seo-jin raised his arms a bit and held Butcher's Wrath out as he drew in a long, deep breath.

He'd been playing in the realm of gods long enough. It was time to get back to the mud and gore.

Tilting his head, his eyes began to glow as he looked toward the large tree to the south. There, just as Snare had said, he could see a yellow aura sitting near the top, with several more gathered around its base.

Including one red.

"I see you."

His muscles tensed, and Azakh-Tur disappeared from where he stood.

----

It had only been a few minutes, and already the first scream had sounded from the south.

Pausing, Hex's ears twitched as the pained note carried through the night and filled his soul.

"Dad makes the best music."

"Focus!"

Lost in the sound, Hex wasn't ready for Bile's attack, though his counter came fast enough that Bile's follow-up missed.

The edge of Hex's axe clashed against Bile's katar with a sharp ring.

Beneath his churning mask of blood, Bile smiled.

"Getting better. How 'bout this?!"

Coagulated blood surged from his mask, wrapping around his arm before rushing into his weapon. Before Hex could react, the blade of Bile's katar extended and stabbed straight through his throat.

Using his tail, Hex struck back, driving the bladed tip straight through Bile's spine, and out his ribcage.

"You... on purpose?"

Smiling through bloodied teeth, Hex opened his mouth and activated [Ruin Crescendo]. With Bile's weapon still lodged through his throat, the roaring sound attack had nowhere to escape. Pressure built inside his neck until a shockwave of sound burst through the wound, throwing both combatants apart in a spray of blood.

Both hit the ground hard, each carrying grievous wounds. Bile was paralyzed from the stomach down, while Hex's head hung from his neck by little more than a strip of flesh.

Pushing his useless lower half off his chest, Bile grinned from ear to ear.

"Bug!"

Coughing up blood, Bile chuckled as he waited for the healing to start.

At the sound of her name, Bug moved as fast as she could. Tearing into the corpses piled in front of her, she ripped off chunks and swallowed them as quickly as her mouth could work.

[Feed] activated, sending health through the broodlink.

Feeling the gap in his neck with one hand while holding his head upright with the other, Hex turned his skull toward Bile.

"How was that?!"

"Impressive, but we're supposed to be weapon training."

Feeling the last of his spine reconnect, Bile pushed himself to his feet. Currently in his DPS form, he was surprised his brother had managed to keep up with him. So far, most of their training had consisted of Bile treating Hex like a pincushion.

"You two are falling behind."

Joining them, Snare looked down at Hex and Bile with his lip curled into a sneer.

"At this rate, you two will show the least improvement. I suggest you both start taking this seriously."

"We are!"

No longer needing to hold up his own head, Hex climbed to his feet. Gripping his guitar by the neck, he settled into his stance.

Opposite him, Bile's bloodmask began to shift along with his body. His sleek frame expanded, muscle packing onto his limbs and torso as he changed into his tank form.

They both charged.

Snare watched his brothers for a while, calling out a few pointers before relaxing enough to move on. Unlike his siblings, he'd been given a different task. His role wasn't meant for direct combat, so Seo-jin had ordered him to take charge of their training instead, which also meant Snare was responsible for the results.

Shouting behind him caught his attention. Turning, he found Synapse was yelling at Tomb and Sin, waving several sheets of paper furiously in their direction.

Raising his brows, Snare was surprised to see Synapse so worked up.

"What's the problem?!"

Stopping mid-rant, Synapse bent down, snatched several papers from the ground, then stomped over.

"Impossible! How am I supposed to analyze their movements if that big idiot refuses to listen?! He continues to ignore my instructions and insists on blocking Sin from my sight."

Looking up at his towering little brother, Snare could see Tomb wasn't at his full height. He'd recently unlocked a Racial Ability that allowed him to vary his size to some degree, but even at roughly twenty feet tall, talking to him still meant craning your neck.

"Is this true?"

Shooting Synapse a look, Tomb lowered himself onto one knee in front of his older brother, the ground shifting beneath his weight.

"What am I supposed to do? Father ordered me to train on using my skills. But he also told me to protect Sin. I'm confused."

Running his tongue over his teeth, Snare felt a headache coming on.

"Tomb, when did Father tell you to protect Sin?"

"Uhh, not sure. While ago?"

"It's not his fault, it's not his fault..."

Taking a slow breath to calm himself, Snare wished Tomb's brains had kept up with his size.

"Right now, we're training. You don't have to protect Sin during this. Only when we're facing real enemies."

"Really?"

"Yes, so don't worry about Sin. Focus on yourself, and Sin will do the same. Right, Sin?"

Barely paying attention to their conversation, Sin seemed lost in prayer. Without looking over, he raised a hand and waved them off.

A vein in Snare's neck began to bulge.

"Panic, can I have a word?"

Appearing in a flash, Panic looked bored as he dug a finger into his ear.

"What?"

"I want you to change things up a bit. Instead"

Cut off mid-sentence, all of them froze, their heads snapping in the same direction as what looked like a pillar of bloodlight rose into the clouds in the distance, then came down like a blade across a section of forest.

"Not fair. Why do I have to play with you losers? I should be out there"

Turning on Panic with glowing eyes, Snare's aura began to rise, pressure rolling off him.

"Are you unhappy with your training? Father would love to hear this. Why don't we contact him"

&qot;Don't do that! Who said unhappy?! Very happy, see?!"

Hooking two fingers into his mouth, Panic stretched his face into a grotesque smile.

Staring straight at his brother for a few seconds longer, Snare finally turned back toward the burning forest in the distance, its glow cutting through the night.

"For the rest of training, include Sin in your attacks. Don't go too far."

Letting his face snap back like rubber, Panic's Restraints began twitching behind him.

"Got it."

"Back to training."

Without another word, Tomb rose while Panic leapt back to make room. Seconds later, the ground began to shake beneath them as their fighting started again.

"Better?"

Still rifling through his papers, Synapse didn't even look up as he followed after the group.

"We shall see."

A low growl escaped Snare as he watched him leave. Though their initial issues had simmered down, he still hated Synapse. He respected his intelligence and agreed he was a necessary addition to the brood, but that didn't mean he had to like him.

With that issue handled, he turned toward the next group, the one Pain was leading.

Just in time to see Law being used like a club against Widow. Pain had him by one foot and swung the broodling wildly, slamming him into her again and again.

"He's gonna kill him."

Snare disappeared from where he stood and reappeared beside Bug, immediately snatching up a corpse. He tore off a couple bites as fast as he could to add to [Feed] while screaming through the broodlink for Pain to stop.

Lost in the fight, the first born didn't hear his brother. Luckily, Widow wasn't his only opponent. Fang materialized out of nowhere, and with a slash of red, fire ruptured from Pain's armpit as his arm went limp.

Finally free of Pain's grip, Law dropped as Fang rushed in, scooping him up and retreated.

Before Snare could relax, his eyes widened as a blinding light gathered inside Pain's mouth

"Idiot!"

As a cone of flame tore after the weakest of his siblings, Snare began stuffing as much dead meat into his mouth as he could, barely chewing before forcing it down.

Seconds from being consumed, Fang and Law were about to burn to ash when Widow's web caught them. It shot from her fingertips and stuck just in time, allowing her to yank them clear of the flames.

Dropping the leg in his hand, Snare sprinted toward his brother and hurled his staff at him along the way. It missed, but it got his attention.

"You! Is it all just char up there?! You would have killed them!"

Smoke rolled from Pain's nostrils as he slowly turned his head.

"And?"

"And?! AND?! Broodfather doesn't want!"

"You are not Father. Do not speak for him."

Stopping short, the words caught him off guard. Pain didn't usually talk back.

"Whether that's true or not, you're still an idiot. We're not supposed to be fighting to the death."

Turning fully toward his brother, Pain straightened as his bones cracked and muscles shifted beneath his skin. For the first time, Snare found himself truly looking up at his brother.

"What determines victory?"

Snare opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Once again, Pain had caught him off guard. He wasn't used to engaging with him like this, and he definitely wasn't used to feeling beneath him.

"You think you know? Tell me, then."

The fangs along Pain's chest began to move, grinding together as fire leaked through the gaps.

"Sacrifice. That is the answer. How much you are willing to sacrifice to win. That is what determines victory."

The clinking of metal mixed with the smell of sulfur as Pain's aura rose, fire leaking from every crack in his body.

"We are Brood. We kill. We feed. Training is for humans."

"But Broodfather"

Turning away from the conversation, Pain flexed his shoulders and faced his siblings.

"Strength is what matters, not how we get it. Is the Brood afraid of death?!"

His final words came out as a roar, the soundwave blackening the ground and heating the air as it tore toward Widow, Law, and Fang.

Bloodlight leaked from all three in response as they roared back and faced the challenge head-on.

Pain had his answer.

So did Snare.

"Sacrifice... You surprise me, brother."

"You disappoint me."

With that, Pain roared once more and charged back into the fight.

Snare didn't move. He stood there a moment longer, letting the word sacrifice churn through his mind. The longer he considered it, the more sense it made.

"Bug!"

Turning at the sound of her name, intestines hung from Bug's mouth as Slims ran up and dumped several more canine corpses beside her.

"I'm eating as fast!"

"Stop feeding! You and Slims come here!"

Everyone across the training field turned an eye toward Snare, and smiles began spreading across their faces. They all understood what this meant.

No more healing.

Instead of slowing down, the intensity of every fight exploded. Whatever restraint had remained vanished, and the training field shifted into kill or be killed.

Yet every one of them was smiling.

Share