"Getting a little reckless, aren't we, Moriel?"

The voice cut straight into Moriel's mind—or rather into Genzai, the name of his newest vessel.

A quiet, amused chuckle slipped from his lips.

"Reckless? Everything is going exactly according to plan."

"Plan? Really? Was waking a former demon lord in the mortal world part of that plan? Trying to wipe out humanity now?"

"Kid, please. I'm your predecessor. Show a little respect, would you?"

He sighed, running a hand through his smooth golden hair.

"All of this is simply to unlock the full potential of my ultimate host.You know what they say about humans—they find hidden strength only when cornered. They grow when life crushes them, especially when someone precious is hanging by the thread… someone like their mother, for instance."

"Good grief, Moriel. You play too much," the voice muttered. "Your antics have the gods on edge. Variel's already calling a meeting to—wait....damn, my time's up. We'll talk later."

The connection cut, but Genzai hardly cared.

"Gods and their endless meetings. Glad I moved out."

He slid a hand into his shirt, retrieving a necklace with a pendant shaped like a quarter moon.

"Ha. The other piece of the Key of Ascension. Who would've guessed this Genzai brat was chasing it too?"

He laughed hard though nothing about the moment was funny. It simply felt good to laugh with his whole chest.

****

Meanwhile, at what used to be Asher's home—now only shattered ruins—chaos reigned.

Asher knelt over his mother, pouring every ounce of focus into healing her, when his Double staggered toward them. Its body cracked and sloughed apart with every step.

He nearly hurled a fireball on instinct, but the look in the Double's eyes stopped him cold.

Though it couldn't cry, he could sense grief radiating from the creature.

"Mama…" the Double rasped. "Please… open your eyes."

A shiver crawled up Asher's spine. Even in a situation like this, the thing worried for her.

"You!" it suddenly barked, pointing at him. "I know what you are...an otherworlder. The master ordered your death. But now… my mother's life is what matters. And it's your fault she's dying. You couldn't protect her."

It gave a sound like a sob, then lowered its head. "I couldn't protect her either. My time as a clone is up. After two years trapped in glass tubes, my soul can finally rest. As much as I hate this… look after my family. I want you to—"

Cracks split across its frame.

crack....crack....

Its hands dropped off, splattering thick, foul fluid across the ground. Ears melted like wax in a furnace. Asher could only watch as it collapsed in wet spasms. There was no doubt now: this was the original Asher's soul inside a fake body. But how? Had it been captured and experimented on, like the other victims in the Duke's Red Room? Whoever was behind those experiments clearly had no regard for humanity.

The Double finally disintegrated into nothing but twitching, slimy flesh.

Asher tore his gaze away, scanning the battlefield. The former demon lord and the current one clashed in a storm of power and pride. Derrick and the others fought desperately against a horde of zombies, cornered with no escape.

He couldn't help them. Not now.

The only thing he wanted was to get his mother and sister out of this mess alive.

He summoned a dimensional door and stepped through,holding his unconscious mother.

"Let's go, Sharon!" he shouted.

Sharon sprinted after him, leaping through the portal.

They emerged at his mansion in the so-called Harem Town. Adrian was still wandering the courtyard, dodging the mischievous succubi twins Tia and Tio. When he saw Asher carrying his bloodied mother, his eyes widened.

"W-what's going on, Asherman… Shazzy?"

Adrian's voice cracked with worry.

"A lot," Sharon said grimly. "The world's gone mad."

"What do you mean?"

Neither of them answered. They hurried into the mansion's entry hall, where Asher laid his mother on a guest-room bed. At last he peeled back her torn blouse to expose the stab wound.

"Bring me a slime," Asher barked the moment Adrian followed them inside.

"A… slime?" Adrian blinked, but didn't argue. He sprinted toward the slime pens behind the estate.

Asher reached into his item box, pulled out a bottle of strong liquor, and handed Sharon a folded linen. "Clean cloth. Now."

She passed it over without a word. He soaked the linen, pressed it to the wound, and the sharp scent of alcohol filled the room. His mother flinched, eyes fluttering shut as low groans escaped her lips.

"What's wrong with the human?" asked Tia, slipping in through the doorway.

"Her life force is faint—I can barely sense it," Tio added, brow furrowed.

"Where's Rose, human?" Tia pressed again, but Asher ignored them, intent on the wound.

Adrian returned moments later carrying a cobalt-blue slime that shimmered softly in the lamplight. Asher accepted it with a curt nod. He knew the cut ran deep—too deep for simple potions. Ruptured vessels meant internal bleeding, and healing magic couldn't fix what kept filling her abdomen with blood.

Good thing his slime-manipulation skill had reached its peak after weeks of creating slime dildos nonstop. With enough focus, he could program a slime into almost any tool.

He crushed the slime's magic core between two fingers, absorbing its essence. Closing his eyes, he steadied his breath.

Think. You were a doctor once. You can do this.

The others watched in uneasy silence as the liquid creature in his palm shimmered a brilliant blue and elongated into a narrow tube.

"Brother… what are you doing?" Sharon asked, voice tight with concern.

He didn't answer. Guiding the glowing tube, he eased it toward the wound. His mother winced as the cool slime slid inside, but Asher kept his focus.

The tube dissolved into a swarm of micro-slimes—pinpricks of blue light swimming beneath her skin like tiny stars. Adrian swore under his breath.

"She's bleeding internally," Asher explained, eyes never leaving the faint lights. "These motes release clot-catalysts to seal the torn vessels and absorb the blood that's already pooled."

"… what?" Tia tilted her head.

"clot-cata....what?" Tio echoed, baffled.

Asher ignored their confusion. Inside the wound, the faint blue glow pulsed as the bleeding slowed. The pooled blood thickened, darkening as it clotted. Guided by his will, the motes soaked up the old, congealed fluid and re-formed, each tiny body turning a deep red as it filled, sucking the clot into their bodies. One by one, they emerged through the wound, carrying the excess blood out with them.

When the last motes returned, he reshaped them into a sticky, self-sealing bandage and pressed it gently over the injury. Only then did he retrieve a vial of healing potion and tip it carefully into his mother's mouth.

The room held its breath.

cough… cough…

Onalenna gave a weak cough, her chest rising with a fragile breath.

The succubi twins widened their eyes in unison. "Her life force just surged," Tia whispered.

"I can feel it, sister," Tio breathed. "The human pulled her back from death!"

"Impressive," murmured Four-Eyes from the corner.

"Mom…" Sharon's voice trembled as Onalenna's eyelids fluttered open. Pale, but alive.

Asher straightened. "She's out of danger. Keep watch over her, Sharon. I'm going back."

Tia frowned. "Your mother nearly died, and you're calm? Are you even human?"

"What?"

"Humans are supposed to break down," she said. "Cry. Cling to her."

"That sounds like a waste of time," Asher replied flatly. He opened a shimmering dimensional door. "I have to get my wife back. Back from the control of Draegonoth."

And with that, he stepped through and vanished.

Adrian dragged a hand through his purple hair. "What in the seven moons is happening out there, Sharon?"

"An apocalypse," she said quietly. "A man-made plague. People are turning into mindless zombies."

Adrian stiffened. "Tell me you're joking. My family—are they safe?"

Sharon only shrugged.

"Damn it!" He flung open his own portal. "I have to check on them."

Before the door could close, the mischievous succubi twins darted after him, giggling, and the portal winked out.

To be continued…

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