#195 - A shabby dinner
“Father.”
Daimon and Jennix greeted Solus in succession. The lion-like man sat without moving, yet his presence sent chills down their spines.
“Sit.”
Without reprimand, Solus simply told them to sit, but neither was naive enough to think he would let things go so easily, after all…
He wasn't that kind of father. There was no warmth among the Inheritor family members; their most harmonious moments were when they gathered to eat.
Because none of them could outcompete their father, Solus, they naturally had to obey his arrangements. If they were strong enough, this relationship would undoubtedly vanish in an instant.
Daimon and Jennix could only sit down obediently, wary of the sword of Damocles that could fall at any moment.
Approaching the dining table, Daimon noticed Brix and Bora were already there, but Solus's aura was so overwhelming that his attention had been solely on Solus, and he hadn't noticed them.
Even after they sat down, Solus remained silent, as if waiting for something. Daimon knew their father was indeed waiting for someone, waiting for his most prized son—Morlun.
The family remained silent for about twenty minutes until the dining room doors finally opened again, and Morlun walked in, carrying Spider-Man from Universe 9105, who was barely alive.
Morlun immediately sensed the strange atmosphere. Aside from their father's low-pressure aura, the three empty golden platters on the table were enough to explain everything.
“It seems that everyone except me has failed in their hunt.”
Morlun's tone was flippant as he threw the mangled Spider-Man from Universe 9105 onto the golden platter, seemingly adding a touch of flair to the meager dinner, but it was merely a drop in the bucket.
This one spider wasn't even enough for their father alone.
Morlun pushed the golden platter towards Solus and stood quietly, awaiting Solus's command.
“Sit, Morlun.” Solus's tone was stiff, but at least it was better than how he spoke to Daimon and Jennix.
Once Morlun was seated, Solus spoke again.
“I am disappointed in you all, except for Morlun.”
‘It's always Morlun!’ Daimon cursed inwardly, but his face remained impassive.
He was the eldest son, but his father always focused his attention solely on Morlun, as if the other children weren't worth his time.
“My three children went to the same hunting ground, yet none of you brought back prey.” Solus's eyes glowed red, whether from hunger or anger was unclear.
“Moreover, you all nearly lost your lives.”
Hearing this, Morlun was the first to react. In his mind, all parallel universes were their hunting grounds, and all Spider-Men were their prey. No one could escape their grasp, and no one could defeat three Inheritors at once.
Except for Parker.
“I warned you!” Morlun stood up, glaring at his siblings, completely disregarding that their father was still speaking, and Solus seemed not to care, allowing Morlun to be impudent.
“Earth-616 is my hunting ground!”
“No one cares about your hunting ground!” Daimon finally exploded, standing up to confront his younger brother.
“We don't care about the universe that made you fail so many times, the one you cried to Father about at night!”
“I'll devour you!” Morlun bared his fangs, his eyes glowing red.
“You can try! Crybaby!” Daimon was unafraid.
Just as the two were at loggerheads, about to fight, Solus finally moved.
“Enough!” Solus simply uttered two words, but everyone present felt their heart skip a beat.
These Inheritors, who prided themselves on being predators, were merely prey in their father's eyes. A tiger doesn't eat its cubs? That didn't apply here.
Think about that fool Karn; they didn't want to suffer the same fate.
“No one went to your hunting ground, Morlun. They failed in another universe.”
Solus offered a way out, and Morlun could only sit down reluctantly. Morlun could take liberties because he was favored, but he had to know his place and remember who granted him that privilege.
At the same time, Morlun became intrigued. Besides Parker, who else could defeat three Inheritors at once?
Daimon glared venomously at Morlun, and with Jennix's reminder, he returned to his seat.
Jennix breathed a sigh of relief as his two brothers sat down. He had been the most uncomfortable in that atmosphere; his clothes would have been soaked with sweat if it had continued any longer.
“Children, tell me who defeated you.” Solus asked, knowing full well that the Spider-Man of Universe 982 didn't have the power to defeat them.
“A plant person, Father.” As the eldest son, Daimon naturally spoke first.
Although Daimon had been ganged up on, he knew that Yang Le was the only one in that group who had the strength to defeat him; the others could only inflict minor damage.
“Us too, Father.” Brix chimed in.
“That plant person is strong, and his abilities are very strange,” Bora added.
“He can summon a bunch of weird plants. Huge pea pods can fire peas with the force of cannonballs, and a giant carnivorous plant swallowed half of my body in one bite.”
“And his vines, I couldn't even break free. Even if I snapped one, countless more would fill the gap in the next second.”
Listening to his children's varied descriptions, Solus couldn't discern who they were describing and could only turn his gaze to the most learned child in the family, hoping he could provide an answer.
Jennix stroked his chin, pondering, and said, “That's odd. I haven't heard of or seen anyone with those characteristics in any records. There's no mention of him in any universe.”
“Father, this might be an enemy we've never encountered before.”
Solus remained silent. It seemed the unchanging Great Web of Life was finally about to change, and Solus hated change the most.
“Sounds promising!” A seductive voice rang out, and a richly dressed and sensual noblewoman walked in.
On either side of her stood two doormen. These doormen were not ordinary people—Rhino and Kraven the Hunter, both renowned villains in their respective universes.
“My collection of slaves will have another new addition.” The Inheritor family's eldest daughter, Verna, said greedily.
