Chapter 120: The Shedding of Skin
"Survival?" Jin repeated, his voice low, eyes locked on the core pulsing like a heartbeat within the root-nest. "That’s your answer?"
The green glow ebbed faintly across the tunnel walls, and for a moment, there was only silence. Then the pulse deepened, and the air trembled with a hum so low it was felt more than heard.
The voice came again. Not with words shaped by a mouth, but by sensation. Intention.
"I do not wish to destroy," it said. "But I will. If survival requires it."
The words weren’t cruel. There was no venom in them. Just a calm, immutable truth. Like it was speaking gravity into being.
Joon let out a slow breath, lips tight. "So... what? It’s giving us a warning?"
Echo frowned. "It’s giving us a chance."
The vines hanging from the tunnel ceiling writhed faintly, almost curious, and then the core pulsed again. Jin’s grip tightened around the hilt of his sword.
Seo stepped forward, her gaze sharp. "You knew we were coming. You let us get this close. Why?"
"To offer retreat," the entity answered. "There has been enough waste. Turn back. Leave the city."
Seul’s jaw clenched. "So it can just keep growing?"