Bloodline Evolution: I Can Choose Opposing Paths-Chapter 89: You Should’ve Stayed Out Of This

The dragonfly dipped sharply as Aren guided it toward the rear side of the stadium.

From above, the structure looked a lot less like a building and more like a massive crater carved into the city. The amphitheatre was now full of fans cheering from all tiers of seating.

It was so loud that Aren could barely hear the flaps of his dragonfly’s wings, even if they were right next to his face.

Miu had already started singing.

Aren circled once above the structure before steering the dragonfly toward the back side of the amphitheatre where the backstage corridors were built into the outer wall.

He landed lightly on the flat rooftop above the service area.

The dragonfly shrank the moment his boots touched the surface, its wings folding as it returned to its normal size before darting away into the night.

Aren barely noticed.

His attention was already on the security below. The back gate was completely sealed off. Even if there was no security stationed here, there was no way he’d be getting in from that side.

Aren stepped quietly across the rooftop, scanning for another entry point—air vents, electrical units, or maintenance ducts.

That was when he spotted it. A small metal hatch tucked between two ventilation units. Aren crouched beside it, realizing a heavy-duty lock held the hatch shut.

He studied it briefly before calling on water. A thin stream flowed over the lock, coating the entire metal in a small veil that seeped into every pore and groove.

Then he raised his other hand.

A faint arc of electricity snapped between his fingers. The current ran straight through the water. For a brief moment, the lock glowed faintly red.

Then the metal began to change. Rust spread across the surface instantly, the steel flaking apart as corrosion raced through it like rot. Aren gave the weakened lock a sharp yank.

The entire thing tore free with a dull metallic crack as Aren quickly hopped inside.

The entire area was filled with thousands of stage props stacked everywhere. Aren straightened slowly as he hid behind a fake stone pillar.

Through the thin wall to his right, the concert bled through. The bass from the speakers vibrated faintly.

The backstage technical equipment should be in that direction.

But before he could move, three Argent Shield guards stood near the intersection down the hall, their attention half set on a few monitors showing different camera feeds.

Aren’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Fewer guards than expected. Most of them were probably stationed at the main entrances and scattered through the crowd.

They’re all Novice-Grade. Seriously, who even hired them as guards?

He stepped out into the hallway. The nearest guard barely had time to turn.

"What the—"

Two swords appeared in Aren’s hands immediately as he crossed the distance in a blur. The first strike landed against the guards as he was still trying to pull out a weapon.

CRACK!

Lightning surged through his swords and into the man’s body, locking his muscles instantly as he collapsed.

Aren pivoted smoothly.

The second guard raised his weapon, black shadows condensing around it, but Aren was faster.

He parried the man’s attack before twisting and landing a clean elbow right into the man’s chest. The second guard tried to recover, but Aren already followed through.

BZZZZT!

The man dropped to the floor beside his partner. The third guard barely managed to shout before Aren closed the gap and drove the flat of his blade into the man’s head, knocking him unconscious immediately.

The corridor fell silent.

Aren exhaled as the faint crackle of electricity faded from his swords. Three bodies lay scattered across the floor, their weapons clattering loosely beside them.

He tapped the earpiece in his ear.

"Daniel," Aren said quietly. "Status?"

For a moment, only the muffled roar of the concert answered him. Then Daniel’s voice came through the line.

"Oh, hey," he said casually. "Perfect timing."

Behind him, Aren could faintly hear shouting... and something heavy crashing.

"About twenty of them so far," Daniel continued. "Give or take a few."

Aren raised an eyebrow.

"And?"

Another crash.

"...And I’m having a great time," Daniel said.

Aren couldn’t help the faint smirk that tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Alright, don’t have too much fun."

"No promises."

The line crackled as Daniel cut the transmission. He moved toward the door and opened it to the backstage technical area.

Unlike the prop storage and side hallways, this room was much larger, mostly a warehouse that kept all of the sound supplies amongst spare lighting equipment.

The entire room was completely dark, almost like someone had abandoned it. Aren slowed as he crouched slowly towards the center, where he remembered the machine was.

Head Guard Han isn’t here...I’ll have to keep my guard up.

After a minute or two, he’d finally found it.

The machine was larger than he expected, with a metal framework and cylindrical chamber about the size of a small vehicle. Thick cables ran into it from multiple directions, all converging into the central core where a blue light pulsed slowly.

Even standing several meters away, Aren could feel the faint pull of ether drifting toward it.

So this is it.

Aren pulled out his phone and snapped a few quick pictures of the machine’s structure and immediately sent them to Emily.

"Emily," he whispered into his earpiece. "Take a look."

For a moment, he could only hear Miu’s singing, then rapid typing came through.

"...Oh," she said.

Aren frowned slightly at the comment.

"What?"

Then her voice came back sharper.

"You cannot destroy it under any circumstances."

"What? Why?" his reply came through a bit louder this time.

"Seriously, don’t touch it," Emily said quickly. "That thing isn’t just a collector—it’s also acting like a regulator."

"...Explain."

"If you destroy it," Emily continued, "all the ether it’s been collecting won’t just disappear."

"It’ll go back to the source."

Aren frowned, "You mean the people? Isn’t that what we want?"

"No..." Emily’s voice came slowly through his earpiece. "The source that caused them to be displaced in the first place."

The realization hit him instantly.

"Miu..."

"Exactly," Emily said. "Right now the machine is siphoning the ether her Bloodline is pulling from the audience and storing it safely. But if you destroy the collector—"

"This gigantic amount of ether will go right back into her, I get it," Aren sighed. "What should I do instead?"

"Look around the frame," Emily said. "There should be individual ether cells attached to the collector. Think of them like batteries."

Aren stepped closer to the machine, his eyes tracing the metal structure more carefully. And then he saw them.

Several rectangular containers were mounted along the outer frame, each connected by thick cables.

"Found them," Aren said quietly.

"Good," Emily replied immediately. "Don’t destroy the machine itself. Remove the cells one at a time. If you take them out slowly, the system should stabilize."

Aren nodded to himself and reached toward the nearest container.

Then—

His instincts screamed as his mind flared every alert possible.

Aren’s body moved before his mind caught up. He twisted sharply to the side...only for a blade of green substance to barely graze him on the shoulder.

The lights turned on in a wave, slowly illuminating the figure that had just entered from the other side of the room.

"...You should’ve stayed out of this."