Beast Evolution Forge - Chapter 126

Chapter 126: Dungeon Games 2
Vell sat at his desk, turning the golden invitation over in his hands. After yesterday’s victory over the Dragon Section, his people were in high spirits.

“You’re brooding again,” Ada said, walking in with a stack of papers. “The defense reports you asked for.”

“I don’t brood,” he replied, still staring at the invitation. “I think deeply. There’s a difference.”

“Sure there is.” She set the papers down and peered at him. “You’re worried about the competition.”

“Not worried. Just…” He leaned back in his chair. “Something feels off. Regina’s not stupid. She wouldn’t invite us unless she had a plan.”

“When do we leave?” Mia materialized from a shadow in the corner, making Ada jump.

“You really need to stop doing that,” Ada muttered.

“Two weeks,” he answered, ignoring their usual bickering. “That gives us time to set things up here. Chen in charge while we’re gone.”

“And the thing we discussed?” Ada asked quietly.

“Already handled. Sara’s observers are in position.” He smiled slightly. “If they try anything while we’re away, they’ll regret it.”

The door burst open and Sia bounced in, literally – her slime form was particularly energetic today. “Dad! You need to see this!”

She held up a newspaper. The headline read: “DRAGON SECTION DEFEAT: NEW POWER RISES IN THE WEST?”

“Well, that was fast.”

“There’s more,” Sia continued, her form rippling with excitement. “The other sections are talking. Some of them want to visit us again!”

“Of course they do.” He stood up and walked to the window. “Nothing attracts attention like success. Especially the kind that proves everyone wrong.”

Below, Alex was running a new training session. His students weren’t practicing the perfect forms favored by the Imperial Section. Instead, they moved like water – flowing, adapting, unpredictable. Corrupted mana mixed with normal energy in ways that would have seemed impossible a year ago.

“Should we show them everything in the competition?” Mia asked.

“No.” He turned back to his desk. “Just enough to make them nervous. It’s good when people look down on us, makes it that more better when we crush them.” He picked up one of Ada’s reports. “Meanwhile, we need to-”

A sudden explosion rocked the building. Not from outside – from below.

“The labs,” Ada said, already moving. “That would be-”

“Lira,” he finished, sighing. “What’s she blown up this time?”

They found her in her underground laboratory, which looked like a tornado had hit it. Papers covered in complex formulas were scattered everywhere, strange machines blinked with multicolored lights, and the air itself seemed to hum with energy. Lira stood in the middle of the chaos, her lab coat scorched and her hair standing on end, but her eyes were bright with excitement.

“You’re just in time!” she exclaimed, not even bothering to wipe the soot from her face. “Look, look, look!” She rushed to a workbench cluttered with crystals and strange devices.

“Lira,” Ada said, carefully stepping over what looked like a partially dismantled mana converter, “this is the third explosion this week.”

“Fourth, actually,” she corrected cheerfully. “But this one was totally worth it!” She held up a crystal that pulsed with a deep purple light. “Ta-da!”

Sia bounced over to get a closer look. “Ooh, pretty! What does it do?”

“It’s my masterpiece!” she spun around, nearly knocking over a rack of test tubes. “I call it the Corruption Catalyst. It doesn’t just channel corrupted mana – it stabilizes it, amplifies it, makes it do things that should be impossible!”

“Should be impossible?” Vell raised an eyebrow. “That’s not the most reassuring choice of words.”

“Oh, don’t be such a worrier.” she waved her hand dismissively, then paused. “Though maybe stand back a bit, just in case.”

“In case of what?” Ada asked, already taking several steps backward.

“Well, there’s only a tiny chance of catastrophic mana feedback. Like, really tiny. Microscopic, even!” she held up the crystal to a strange machine. “Here, let me demonstrate-”

“No!” everyone shouted in unison.

“Fine, fine.” She pouted, but her eyes still sparkled with mischief. “But you should see what happened when I tested it earlier. The corruption patterns were amazing! Look at these readings!”

She rushed to a wall covered in charts and diagrams, pointing excitedly. “See? Normal corruption dissipates in predictable patterns, but with the catalyst…” She traced a wildly zigzagging line. “It becomes something entirely new!”

Mia materialized next to the charts, studying them with interest. “These numbers… they shouldn’t be possible.”

“Exactly!” she clapped her hands. “That’s what makes it so exciting! We’re breaking all the rules they said couldn’t be broken!”

“And some safety protocols too, I bet,” Ada muttered, eyeing a suspicious scorch mark on the ceiling.

“Safety protocols are more like safety suggestions, really,” she said, already moving to another workbench. “Besides, you can’t revolutionize corruption mana without breaking a few… everything.”

Vell picked up the crystal, turning it carefully in his hands. Despite its small size, it thrummed with power. “And you’re sure you can control it?”

“Mostly sure! Like, at least sixty percent sure.” She paused at their expressions. “Okay, maybe fifty-five percent. But think about the possibilities!”

She bounced between various machines, her enthusiasm infectious despite the danger. “The Imperial Section thinks they know everything about corruption. They’ve got all their neat little theories and proper procedures. But this?” She gestured at the crystal. “This changes everything! We could do things with corrupted mana that they never dreamed possible!”

“No,” he said firmly, though he couldn’t quite hide his amusement. “We’re not testing experimental magic at the competition. The last thing we need is to accidentally blow up their fancy arena, I will help you test them some other time.”

“But-”

“No.”

“What if I just-”

“Still no.”

She slumped dramatically over a workbench. “You never let me have any fun.”

“I let you blow up the lab four times this week,” he pointed out.

“That’s different! Those were scientific explosions!”

“Don’t worry, you will can go wild at the competition, bring along those ‘toys’ of yours.” He said, looking at the pair of weapons in a massive safe box.

“Okay okay.” She was still pouting.

As they left the lab, Mia touched his arm. “Dad? That woman in the Imperial Section – Regina. What’s she really after?”

“Good question.” He looked at the crystal Lira had made. “But I think we’re about to find out.”

Later that night, Vell stood on the town walls, watching the stars. A year ago, cast aside, living on the streets and having a terrible life. Now he commanded a force strong enough to make even the strongest cities nervous.

But he knew better than to get cocky. Regina was playing a deeper game, and the competition was just one move on the board.

“Bring it on,” he said softly to the night sky. “We’re ready for whatever you’ve got planned.”

[I still find it fascinating how you deactivated your cores, how did you even think of something like that.]

“Haha, its not a big deal, you just cut off the mana going in and out of the core, isolating it. This has actually allowed me to grow stronger and gain much more control over my main core.”

[So strong but people can’t feel it, those limiters are really handy.]

“Yeah, I miss going all out, last time was against mother right? I still don’t know what to do with that core and body she gave me.”

[you will think of something eventually, focus on phase 2 for now, we need to uproot that organization before we go into the tower.]

“Yeah, so much to do, its tiring… I am going to sleep.”

—

The following weeks passed in a blur of intense preparation. The Broken Empire’s training grounds became a crucible where Vell pushed his people to their absolute limits.

“Again!” he called out, watching as Alex and Sara sparred. Their corrupted mana techniques had improved dramatically, but he knew they’d need to be even better. “The Imperial Section won’t give you time to think. Your reactions need to be instant.”

Alex nodded, sweat dripping from his brow as he adjusted his stance. His blade now carried a perfect mix of normal and corrupted mana, leaving trails of darkened energy with each strike. Sara met his attacks with her own unique style, using quick, unpredictable movements that made her almost impossible to pin down.

From her corner of the training ground, Lira worked on enhancing their equipment, muttering calculations under her breath. Her “minor” explosions had decreased to only one per day, which she insisted was a significant improvement.

“The catalysts are stable now,” she announced proudly, holding up a crystal that pulsed with deep purple light. “Mostly stable. Like, ninety percent stable.”

“That’s what you said about the last batch,” Ada reminded her, examining a scorched training dummy. “Right before they melted.”

“Details, details,” she waved dismissively. “Besides, melting is just another form of success!”

‘This bitch is crazy, she will kill us all.’ Ada thought with a worried look on her face.

Mia and Sia had taken to testing the defenses, trying to find any weaknesses before they left. Their slime forms made them perfect for spotting overlooked vulnerabilities, though Sia’s idea of “testing” often involved pranking the guards.

“Found another blind spot!” Sia announced cheerfully, materializing behind a startled Henry. “That’s three today!”

“Good,” Vell nodded. “Fix them before we leave. I don’t want any surprises while we’re gone.”

On the final day before departure, Vell gathered everyone in the main hall. The air was thick with anticipation as he prepared to announce his chosen team.

“The Imperial Section thinks they know what to expect from us,” he began, his voice carrying to every corner of the room. “They’re wrong. Each person I name has shown not just skill, but the ability to think differently, to use what others call broken and turn it into strength.”

He unrolled a scroll, though he already knew every name by heart.

“Alex, Sara… Lira, sigh.” He looked at her before continuing, “Ada, Henry, Mia and Sia.” He smiled at a girl in the crowd, “Rana, I need you for this, think you can help me out?”

“Yes sir, I won’t let you down.” She looked happy to be chosen.

“Very good, you deserve that chance, you have worked hard.”

“T-Thank you for noticing sir.” She said, barely holding back her tears.

“The last 2 members, Yenna and Wren. congratulations to the chosen ones but this should not discourage you, all of you are strong, continue to work hard because there are other areas where you will be needed.”

“Yes sir!” They all said.

He turned back to the gathered team. “Rest tonight. Tomorrow, we show the Imperial Section exactly what The Broken Empire can do.” He paused, then added with a hint of mischief, “And Lira? You can bring your ‘mostly stable’ toys after all.”

Her delighted cackle made several people take an instinctive step back.

As the team dispersed to make their final preparations, Vell stood at the window of his office, watching the sunset. The Imperial Section’s perfect world was about to meet something they couldn’t control, couldn’t predict, couldn’t understand.

And he couldn’t wait to see their faces when it happened.

[Are you sure about this? Regina is not someone to be taken lightly.]

“I know,” he replied softly to the unseen presence. “But do you think she is a match for me?”

[Good point.]