Bloodline Evolution: I Can Choose Opposing Paths-Chapter 91: The Siren

Aren watched the sickly green veins on his shoulder slowly fade.

The poison that had been gnawing at his muscles moments ago began to recede, the burning sensation dulling as Han’s death finally broke the lingering effects of his Bloodline.

He didn’t waste another second. Aren shot down the backstage corridor, taking the stairs two at a time as he sprinted toward the stage above.

"Emily," he said into his earpiece. "Status."

For a moment, only the sound of chaos answered him.

"...It’s bad."

"How bad?"

"Really bad."

Aren burst through the final backstage door that led up toward the amphitheater.

"The entire stadium is in chaos," Emily continued quickly. "People started panicking after that. They’re running everywhere—security can’t contain the crowd."

The roar of thousands of terrified voices confirmed it the moment Aren stepped out.

Fans flooded the aisles, shoving past one another as they tried to reach the exits. Some were screaming while others were still staring toward the stage in confusion, as if unsure whether the performance had ended or not.

Aren’s eyes snapped toward the center.

Daniel was there.

The Golden Knight was sprinting across the edge of the stage, spear flashing as he chased two fleeing figures in black who were desperately trying to get to the stage.

"Get back here!" Daniel shouted as he vaulted over a fallen lighting rig.

But that wasn’t what held Aren’s attention.

It was the center of the stage.

Miu Harmonia was crouched over, with both hands clamped tightly against her head.

Her shoulders were trembling violently...and even from a distance, Aren could hear her whispering under her breath.

"Miu!" he shouted.

Aren dropped to one knee beside her.

"Miu, hey—look at me."

Her head jerked up. For a moment, her eyes focused on him. Relief flashed across her face.

"Aren..." she gasped.

Her voice was shaking.

"Make it stop..."

Her grip tightened around her skull as her entire body shuddered.

"It won’t stop!"

Aren’s expression hardened. Even without any fancy audio equipment...he could still hear the voice.

"KEEP SINGING."

Miu let out a broken cry.

"No—!"

"KEEP SINGING."

Aren’s eyes narrowed.

The Siren Bloodline. Her mother did tell the truth.

Shit...what now?!

Last time Miu lost control, he had simply blocked off her ether channels which knocked her unconscious. But this time—

His gaze flicked briefly to the faint blue glow that was still radiating from her body. The ether inside her channels were overflowing.

If he tried the same method now...she would literally implode.

Aren clenched his jaw.

"...Damn it."

"M-Make it stop..." Miu whimpered, her voice barely audible over the chaos in the stadium. Her fingers dug into her hair, to the point that blood started to pour from her scalp.

"It won’t stop..."

Aren reached out, grabbing her shoulders.

"Miu, listen to me. Focus on my voice."

"Aren—"

Then...a shadow moved behind them.

He spun around just in time to see a man in black sprinting up the side stairs leading onto the stage. His uniform was torn and bloodied, but his expression was completely blank.

A syringe gleamed in his hand.

One of the Cleaners.

Aren’s eyes widened immediately as he instantly realized what the man wanted to do.

Lightning gathered into Aren’s legs as he launched himself forward, swords appearing in his hand as he went straight for the kill.

But the man never cared about his life...he dove straight at Miu.

"FOR THE CAUSE!"

Aren’s sword flashed, the blade tore cleanly through the man’s torso...but the damage had already been done.

The syringe plunged into Miu’s shoulder, only for a fraction of a second...

Just a single drop before it fell onto the floor and cracked, spilling liquid everywhere—

But it was enough.

"GRAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

A violent pressure burst outward from Miu’s body like a shockwave. The stage cracked beneath her as she sent microphones and speakers flying across the platform.

Aren didn’t even have time to react.

The blast hit him head-on.

"—!"

The force hurled him across the stage and straight into the lower seating tiers behind it.

But just before he slammed into the concrete, a blur of gold intercepted him.

CLANG!

Daniel skidded backward several steps, his spear planted into the ground as he caught Aren mid-flight.

"Got you!" he grunted.

The two of them slid several meters before finally stopping.

"What the hell was that?!" Daniel shouted.

Aren pushed himself upright, his ears ringing as the last ripples of ether washed through the stadium. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

The entire amphitheater had fallen eerily quiet. Both of them slowly looked back toward the stage.

They thought the worst had passed.

Miu lay motionless at the center of the platform, her body collapsed against the cracked floorboards.

Unconscious.

But something else stood beside her. The air above the stage wrapped as a massive figure fully emerged from the swirling ether.

It looked like a woman, and yet—

It wasn’t human.

A pale, serpentine body broke free from Miu and slithered across the shattered stage, scales shimmering faintly in the blue light. Long translucent fins drifted along its arms, while its lower half stretched into a massive aquatic tail that curled across the platform.

Its face was completely devoid of human features such as a nose or mouth, instead replaced with gills. Sharp claws grew from its hands as it screeched loudly.

Daniel’s grip tightened on his lance.

"...Tell me that’s not her Bloodline."

Aren didn’t get to reply, as a soft melody started to resound across the area. The moment it hit his ears, Aren felt his entire body tense.

"—!"

"Cover your ears!" he shouted instantly.

Both he and Daniel reacted at the same time, clamping their hands over their ears as the melody expanded across the amphitheater.

Even muted, the sound felt like it wanted to crawl into his mind. To lull him into a false sense of security.

Daniel grit his teeth. "Damn it...!"

Aren forced himself to look away from the creature. But then his eyes widened.

"...Daniel."

The senior followed his gaze. Several rows above in the seating tiers, a handful of spectators who wanted to film the chaos suddenly dropped their phones and went limp.

Then they sprang back up and started walking back down the steps...and toward the stage.

"You’ve gotta be kidding me."