Beast Evolution Forge - Chapter 124

Chapter 124: Battle
The morning sun lit up The Broken Empire’s training grounds as Alex demonstrated the latest corruption-infusion technique to a group of advanced students. His sword, once a simple training weapon, now hummed with a perfect blend of normal and corrupted mana.

“Remember,” he called out, his voice carrying the confidence of a seasoned instructor, “the key is balance. Too much corruption destabilizes your control. Too little defeats the purpose.” He executed a precise strike, his blade leaving a trail of darkened energy in its wake. “Like this.”

From his office window, Vell watched with approval. Alex’s growth from an enthusiastic but unskilled beginner to one of their most promising teachers embodied everything The Broken Empire stood for.

[Alert: Multiple unauthorized mana signatures detected]

[Location: Western border]

[Classification: Dragon Section combat units]

“Right on schedule,” he murmured. He turned to Ada, who stood reviewing defense reports. “How many?”

“Three squadrons,” she replied. “They’re trying to mask their presence, but…”

“But they might as well be carrying torches in the dark.” He smiled, creating a viewing portal. Through it, they could see Dragon Section warriors moving through the forest, their traditional martial arts techniques modified for stealth. “Look at their form – perfect, practiced, predictable.”

A knock at the door interrupted them. Sara entered, her face tense. “Sir, our observers report similar movements on the eastern and southern borders. They’re positioning for a coordinated strike.”

“Good.” His eyes glowed with anticipation. “Send word to Yenna – Operation Broken Mirror is now active.” He turned to Ada. “Get the civilians to the shelters. Have Henry coordinate with the defense teams.”

As they moved to execute his orders, his daughters materialized from the shadows.

“Dad,” Mia reported, her usually stoic demeanor tinged with excitement, “Commander Ryu himself is leading the main force through the mountain pass.”

Sia bounced happily. “Oh, he brought all his best warriors! Can we play with them?”

“Patience,” he chuckled. “Let them think they’re being clever first.” His expression hardened. “Besides, Ryu is mine.”

The Dragon Section’s reputation for martial excellence was well-earned. Their warriors moved like their namesake – powerful, precise, and absolutely certain of their superiority. They had no way of knowing that every step they took was exactly what Vell had planned.

Below, life continued normally. Players traded in the markets, trained in the yards, walked the streets without apparent concern. Only the most observant might notice that certain buildings were subtly emptying, that key personnel were quietly moving into position.

Alex gathered his students. “Remember your training,” he said, his young face serious. “They’ll expect us to be weak, uncoordinated. Show them what The Broken Empire’s warriors can really do.”

Across the town, similar scenes played out. Sara’s observers melted into pre-arranged positions. Henry’s infrastructure teams activated hidden defense mechanisms. Ada’s combat units took up their posts, corrupted mana carefully contained until the moment to strike.

In his office, Vell watched it all through multiple viewing portals. A year of planning and preparation, all coming to fruition. He thought back to his defeat at the hands of the Imperial Section, how they had dismissed him as beneath their notice.

“The Dragon Section thinks they’re teaching us a lesson,” he said to his daughters. “But they’re about to learn one instead.” His corrupted mana began to build, not in the barely controlled bursts they would expect, but in precise, measured waves. “About underestimating the broken ones.”

—

Commander Ryu raised his hand, signaling his forces to attack. Vell watched as they moved forward in perfect formation, their movements so coordinated they looked like they were dancing.

Then he saw the first signs of his plan working. A Dragon Section warrior tried to do a special attack move, but his mana didn’t flow right. Another tried to power up his weapon, but the energy came out twisted.

“What’s happening?” he heard one of them say through the portal. “My techniques… they’re not working properly!”

Commander Ryu’s eyes widened as he realized something was wrong. “Fall back!” he shouted. “It’s a-”

But as he turned around, he found Vell standing there. Corrupted mana swirled around him like dark stars, but he wasn’t attacking yet. He wanted Ryu to understand first.

“You know,” he said calmly, “for someone who’s supposed to be so smart, you made a really basic mistake.” He took a step forward. “You thought because we were broken, we were weak.”

“What did you do?” Ryu demanded, trying to gather his mana for an attack. But even as he did, he could feel it responding strangely.

“I learned something from being broken,” he continued. “Sometimes the things that break us can make us stronger – if we learn to use them right.” He gestured at the corrupted mana around them. “This power you’re so afraid of? We made it our strength.”

Ryu’s face showed a mix of anger and fear as he finally understood. “You… you’ve been planning this all along.”

“Yes,” he nodded. “And now, Commander Ryu, it’s time for your first lesson about what The Broken Empire can really do… god, talking like that is tiring.”

He dropped the serious act and shrugged. “You know what? Enough talking. You came here looking for a fight, so let’s fight.”

Ryu gripped his sword tighter, trying to steady his shaking hands. Something was wrong with his mana – it felt sluggish, resisting his commands. “What did you do to this place?”

“Nothing special.” He stretched lazily. “Just gave it a little makeover. Doesn’t feel great when your perfect techniques don’t work, does it?”

Around them, Dragon Section warriors were discovering the same problem. Their coordinated attacks fell apart as corrupted mana interfered with their movements. Meanwhile, The Broken Empire’s forces moved through the chaos like they’d trained for it – which they had.

Mia and Sia were having the time of their lives, popping up behind enemy scouts and watching them panic when their attacks passed right through their slime bodies.

“This is fun!” Sia giggled, wrapping herself around a warrior’s legs. “They really thought they were sneaky!”

Alex led his group against the eastern force, calling out instructions: “Remember what we practiced! Let them waste energy trying to power through it!”‘

—

Ryu launched another attack at Vell, but his blade wavered mid-strike. “Impossible… we’re the 3rd strongest section in the region!”

“Were,” he corrected, easily stepping aside. “Past tense. You know what your biggest mistake was? Thinking nothing could ever change.” He formed a ball of corrupted mana, watching it pulse between his fingers. “Well, surprise.”

A massive burst of dark energy lit up the morning sky. When it cleared, Ryu was on his knees, his legendary armor cracked and smoking.

“Shit,” he muttered, looking up at Vell. “This wasn’t just about defending your territory, was it?”

“Look who finally caught up.” Vell crouched down to meet his eyes. “Want to know the really funny part? We let you see exactly what you expected – poor, broken players just trying to scrape by. Your pride did the rest.”

Ryu coughed, struggling to stand back up. “You made us look like fools.”

“No, you did that yourself.” He watched him with mild amusement. “All that time looking down on us, never questioning if maybe we were worth taking seriously.”

Around them, the battle was ending. Most of the Dragon Section forces had either surrendered or retreated, their practiced formations falling apart against The Broken Empire’s unconventional tactics.

“Dad!” Sia called out, bouncing over in her slime form. “The eastern group is trying to escape through the forest!”

“Let them,” he said. “They’ll spread the word faster than we could.”

Ryu managed to get to his feet, though he was clearly unsteady. “You won’t get away with this. The other sections-”

“Will do what exactly?” He cut him off. “Attack us? Like you just tried?” He shook his head. “Face it. The old way of doing things? It’s over.”

Ada approached with several captured Dragon Section officers in tow. “Sir, what should we do with the prisoners?”

He considered for a moment. “Treat their wounds. Feed them. Then let them see exactly what we’ve built here.” He turned back to Ryu. “Maybe they’ll learn something.”

“You’re insane,” Ryu spat.

“No. I just stopped playing by rules that were made to keep us down.” He started walking away, then paused. “Oh, and Ryu? When you report back about how badly this went, make sure you mention one thing – we weren’t even trying our hardest, not even close” He looked back with a cocky smile.

Later that evening, Vell sat in his office, reading damage reports. The attack had caused minimal destruction, exactly as planned. His kids were curled up on his shoulders, tired but happy.

“That was fun,” Mia yawned. “But you’re thinking about them again, aren’t you? The Imperial Section?”

“Maybe.” He smiled slightly. “But they can wait. We’ve got other work to do first.” He dropped the reports and exhaled. “why don’t you come out, I hate being watched, might just kill you.”

A man appeared out of thin air, starring at Vell with an amused expression. “It’s been a while, Vell.”

“You…”