Beast Evolution Forge - Chapter 118

Chapter 118: Lab
Vell’s darkness pulled back sharply as Yenna crashed into him, both of them tumbling across the warehouse floor. Through the swirling corruption in his vision, he caught a glimpse of their attacker – a figure wrapped in white robes, face hidden behind an ornate mask.

“Now this is disappointing,” the masked figure said, voice carrying an artificial echo. “All that power, and you’re still playing with insects.” They gestured at the woman in the white coat, who now lay unconscious in a heap.

Vell helped Yenna to her feet, noting the angry red mark on her face. Few could land a hit on her – this one was different.

[Warning, warning, warning]

“Let me guess,” Vell said, the corruption within him still burning for release. “You’re the one actually pulling the strings?”

The figure tilted their head. “Strings? Oh no, nothing so crude. We don’t control – we… guide. Help people reach their true potential through corruption. Though I must say, your potential is rather unique.”

They moved forward with impossible speed, appearing between Vell and Yenna. “The way you consume corruption… fascinating. Our researchers said it was theoretically possible, but to see it in person…”

Vell lashed out with tendrils of darkness, but they passed through empty air. The figure was already behind him.

“Too slow,” they chided. “All that raw power, but no real understanding of how to use it. Such a waste.”

Yenna struck next, her movements a blur, but the figure deflected each attack with casual ease. “And you,” they said, catching her last strike. “A failed experiment, but still somehow useful. How does it feel, serving the very power that was meant to destroy you?”

She snarled, breaking free. “The only thing I serve is my own choice.”

“Choice?” The figure laughed. “You’re still bound by the corruption we planted in you. The only difference is that you’ve found a stronger source to latch onto.” They nodded toward Vell.

[Analysis: Enemy utilizing advanced holy energy manipulation]

[Detecting traces of corrupted mana integration]

[Warning: Current power levels insufficient for direct confrontation]

“You’re right about one thing,” Vell said, darkness coiling around him. “I don’t fully understand this power yet. But I’m learning.” His eyes blazed with borrowed corruption. “For instance, I just learned how to do this.”

The corrupted mana he’d absorbed suddenly pulsed, sending out a wave that made the figure stumble. For just a moment, their perfect control wavered.

“Impossible,” they breathed. “You’re reversing the corruption flow?”

“Like you said – theoretically possible.” He smiled. “Want to see what else I can do with it?”

But before he could act, the figure raised their hand. Holy symbols blazed to life around them, forcing back Vell’s darkness.

“Another time, perhaps. You’ve given us much to think about.” They stepped back, space itself seeming to bend around them. “Do try to stay alive until then. You’re far too interesting to waste.” They picked up the woman and began disappearing.

“Wait-” He lunged forward, but they were already gone, leaving only a lingering echo of laughter.

[Alert: Multiple system anomalies detected]

[Processing new corruption data…]

[Warning: Unknown variables introduced to power matrix]

Yenna rubbed her jaw, eyes narrowed at where the figure had been. “Well, that was humbling.”

“Indeed.” He looked down at his hands, where corruption still coursed beneath his skin. “Though not unproductive. Now we know who we’re really dealing with.”

“Do we?” She glanced at the dead bodies. “Seems like we’ve just scratched the surface.”

The warehouse’s false wall remained open, revealing the sterile laboratory beyond. After their encounter with the masked figure, the corrupted mana in the air had begun to dissipate, though Vell could still feel it thrumming beneath his skin.

“We should check inside,” he said. “She was in this place for a reason.”

[Scanning interior]

[Multiple containment units detected]

[Warning: Active life signs present]

Yenna moved ahead, her steps silent despite her earlier injury. The laboratory was a stark contrast to the decaying warehouse – all gleaming metal and humming machinery. Screens displayed data in a script that even Vell’s systems struggled to decode.

“Look at this,” Yenna called, stopping at a terminal.

Vell examined the displays. “They’ve been iterating on the process. Each subject showing different reactions to the corruption.”

[Analyzing data patterns]

[Multiple failed integration attempts documented]

[Success rate: 0.03%]

“They’re trying to create something,” he muttered, moving deeper into the facility. “Or someone.”

The lab opened into a larger chamber, dominated by a massive cylindrical tank filled with swirling dark fluid. Unlike the crude corruption they’d encountered before, this seemed almost alive, moving with purpose.

And floating in the center, suspended in the liquid, was a figure.

[Alert: Life signs detected]

[Warning: Unusual mana signature]

[Recommendation: Extreme caution]

He approached the tank, his reflection distorted in the glass. The figure inside appeared human – young, perhaps in their twenties. Tubes and wires connected to their body, pulsing with that same refined corruption.

“They’re alive,” Yenna observed, pressing her hand against the glass. “But barely. The corruption… it’s different from what they used on the others. More concentrated.”

“Not just concentrated,” Vell’s eyes narrowed as his systems analyzed the pattern. “Pure. Like the one I was given by that figure.” He touched the tank, and the liquid inside responded, swirling toward his hand. “They’re trying to create a perfect vessel. Someone who can handle undiluted corruption without breaking.”

[Scanning subject vitals]

[Integration progress: 78%]

[Warning: Neural patterns unstable]

“We can’t leave them here,” Yenna said quietly.

He looked at her for a little and nodded, remembering the broken puppets they’d fought outside. “The question is, can we safely remove them? This setup is complex. One wrong move and—”

The figure’s eyes suddenly snapped open.

They were pure black, like pools of the corruption that surrounded them. But there was awareness there – pain, confusion, and something else. Something that made Vell’s systems surge with recognition.

[Alert: Mana resonance detected]

[Pattern match: 89% similarity to Master’s core]

[Caution: Subject attempting neural connection]

“They’re trying to communicate?” he placed both hands on the tank. The corruption inside responded more strongly now, creating patterns in the liquid.

“Can you understand them?” She asked, watching the swirling symbols.

“Not words exactly. More like…” he concentrated, letting his own corruption reach out. “Feelings. Images. They’re—”

The figure convulsed, their back arching in agony. The corruption in the tank began to churn violently.

[Warning: Subject destabilizing]

[Containment failure imminent]

[Recommendation: Immediate action required]

“We need to get them out,” he said, his darkness already spreading over the tank. “Now.”

“The system’s locked down,” Yenna reported from the terminal. “And these readings… their body’s rejecting the corruption. If we don’t do something—”

“Then we’ll make our own exit.” His eyes blazed with power. “Stand back.”

He pressed his consciousness into the corruption surrounding the figure, forcing it to recognize him as its master. The liquid resisted at first, centuries of careful refinement fighting against his will. But he had consumed it before and knew how to make it his own. It had no choice but to yield.

The tank shattered, dark fluid cascading across the floor. He caught the figure as they fell, carefully removing the tubes and wires. Up close, he could see the corruption had left its mark – black veins spiderwebbing across their skin, pulsing in time with their weak heartbeat.

“They’re running a fever,” Yenna said, checking their vitals. “The corruption’s burning them up from the inside.”

[Analysis: Subject requires immediate stabilization]

[Corruption levels: Critical]

[Calculating survival probability…]

“Hmm, let’s see if I can’t put this stolen corruption to good use.”

Dark energy began flowing from his hands into the figure, not forcing itself in like before, but gentle. Guiding. Teaching their body how to accept the corruption without being consumed by it.

The figure’s eyes fluttered open again, meeting his. And in that moment, something passed between them – an understanding that went beyond words. They had both been marked by the same darkness, changed by the same power.

The black veins on their skin slowly began to stabilize, the corruption finding a new rhythm. Their breathing steadied.

[Subject stabilizing]

[Corruption integration: Rebalancing]

[Note: Unique neural pattern emerging]

“Welcome back,” he said softly as awareness returned to those dark eyes. “I believe we have a lot to talk about.”