Beast Evolution Forge - Chapter 175

Chapter 175: Snipers 3
Mira’s scream tore through the forest, raw and jagged, like something ripped straight from her soul. The pain wasn’t just in her face—it was everywhere. Her skin burned as dark veins crawled up her cheeks, her neck, her arms, like poison racing through her.

Blood leaked from her eyes, her nose, her ears, dripping hot and steady onto the dirt. She clawed at her face, nails digging in, but it didn’t stop the fire inside her. It was like her bones were cracking apart, her muscles twisting into knots, every nerve screaming at once.

Jon lunged forward, staff sparking with energy, but Vell didn’t even look at him. With a flick of his wrist, that steel blade-hand shot out, slamming him back into a tree. The impact cracked the bark, and he crumpled, gasping, blood trickling from his mouth. He tried to get up, but his legs wouldn’t move right.

“Stay down,” Vell said, calm as ever, his eyes locked on Mira. “She’s first.”

Mira dropped to her knees, hands shaking as she gripped the ground. Her vision blurred, the world tilting and spinning. The pain wasn’t just sharp—it was deep, like something was eating her from the inside out.

She tried to speak, to curse him, but her throat locked up. All that came out was a choked sob. Her rifle lay useless a few feet away, knocked aside when she fell.

He crouched in front of her, tilting his head like he was studying her. “Hurts, doesn’t it?” His voice was soft, almost kind, but his eyes were cold. “That’s corrupted mana. It’s rewriting you. Breaking you apart. Fun little trick I haven’t used in a while.”

She wanted to hit him, to fight back, but her body wouldn’t listen. Her arms gave out, and she collapsed face-first into the dirt, gasping. The blood from her face mixed with the soil, turning it dark and wet. Every breath felt like swallowing glass. Her fingers twitched, digging into the ground, but even that small movement sent fresh waves of agony through her.

Jon dragged himself forward, grunting with effort. “Leave her alone!” His voice cracked, weak but angry. He swung his staff, a burst of energy flaring toward Vell. It hit nothing—he was already gone, standing a few feet away like he’d never moved.

“Persistent,” he said, sounding almost impressed. “But pointless.” He turned back to Mira, who was curled up now, shaking so hard her teeth rattled. “Look at her. She’s not even fighting it anymore.”

Mira’s mind was a mess—pain drowned out everything else. She couldn’t think, couldn’t plan. All she could do was feel the burning, the tearing, the way her body seemed to unravel. Her chest heaved, but every breath made it worse, like her lungs were filling with fire. She screamed again, weaker this time, her voice breaking into a whimper.

Jon threw himself at Vell again, desperate. His staff sparked, but Vell caught it with his blade-hand, twisting it out of his grip like it was nothing. The staff hit the ground, and he kicked Jon hard in the chest, sending him sprawling.

“Stop wasting my time,” he said, stepping over Jon like he was trash. He knelt beside Mira again, grabbing her chin and forcing her head up. Her eyes were half-open, bloodshot and leaking red. “Tell me who sent you. Now. Or this gets worse.” He said, looking back at Jon.

“Leave her alone!” he shouted, voice breaking. “She doesn’t know anything. I’ll tell you—please, just spare her. She didn’t even know this was a capture mission.”

He stared at him for a moment and then released Mira, letting her head drop back to the ground with a dull thud. He straightened, turning his full attention to Jon.

“Interesting,” he mused. “You kept her in the dark. Loyal partner you are.” His smile widened, revealing teeth that seemed too sharp for a human mouth. “Alright, let’s hear it. Who sent you, and why?”

Jon swallowed hard, glancing at Mira’s trembling form. Her breathing was shallow now, her strength fading. He had no choice. “The guild,” he said, forcing the words out. “They work for an organization—the Shadow Consortium. I was told to capture you since you are a threat of some kind, that’s all I was told.”

Vell’s eyes narrowed, “so that’s what they are called huh. The organization that ruined my life…” Just thinking about it made his blood boil, they took so much from him…so much. “So you work for them huh, is that it?” His predator eye activated, filling the entire area with killing intent that made it hard for them to breathe.

‘Fuck, this is bad. What do they want with this monster? What should I say, no…yes, no is the right answer.’ He opened his mouth, hope filling eyes but before a sound escaped his mouth, Vell sliced his lower mouth off.

“Never mind, I don’t really care. Time to wrap this up. Thank you for the information, helped me more than you realise.”

He raised his blade-hand, the steel shimmering as if alive, poised to strike. Jon’s eyes widened, fear, that’s all that was left in them, while Mira’s breath hitched, her body too weak to resist.

This was their end, but then, Vell paused. The blade hovered, inches from Jon’s chest, as a slow, calculated smile spread across his face.

“I could end you both right now,” he said, his tone almost thoughtful. “It’d be easy. Clean. But that would be too merciful—and frankly, too small.” The blade retracted with a soft shnick, his hand morphing back to flesh as he straightened. “No, you’ll serve a purpose instead.”

Jon managed a guttural sound, blood bubbling from his ruined mouth, his gaze a mix of confusion and dread. Mira lifted her head slightly, her voice hoarse. “What… what do you want?”

He crouched beside Jon, his presence suffocating, and met his eyes with an intensity that made the air feel heavy. “You’ll go back to your masters. You’ll tell the Shadow Consortium that Vell is coming for them. Tell them their days of ruining lives—of ruining my life—are numbered. And tell them this: if they send anyone else after me, I’ll make what happened here look like a kindness.”

He stood, turning his attention to Mira. She flinched as his gaze settled on her, but he made no move to touch her again. “As for you,” he continued, “consider this your only warning. The next time you point a weapon at me, I won’t stop at pain. You’ll beg for death—and I’ll oblige.”

Without another word, he turned and walked away, his figure blending seamlessly into the shadows of the forest. Within moments, he was gone, the oppressive weight of his presence lifting like a storm passing. The silence that followed was deafening.

Jon groaned, forcing himself to his knees despite the agony radiating from his face. He reached for Mira, his blood-slick hand grasping her arm. “We… we need to move,” he rasped, his voice distorted and wet with blood

She nodded weakly, pulling herself up with his help. Her body ached, every muscle screaming in protest, but the corrupted mana’s grip was loosening. She retrieved her rifle from the dirt, clutching it like a lifeline. “What was that?” she whispered, staring at the spot where Vell had disappeared. “His power… it’s not human.”

He pressed a hand to his wound, staunching the flow as best he could. “I don’t know,” he muttered, his eyes dark with a mix of fear and resolve. “But the Consortium wanted him for a reason. And now… they’ve got his message.”

Mira activated her wrist communicator, her fingers trembling as she input the signal. “Command, this is Field Team Seven. Target… target has escaped. Requesting immediate extraction. We’re injured—critical condition.”

The communicator crackled to life, the voice on the other end clipped and emotionless. “Field Team Seven, report received. Extraction approved. Coordinates locked. Stand by.”

Jon slumped against a tree, his breathing shallow. “They’re not going to like this,” he said, his words slurring slightly. “We failed.”

She shook her head, her expression hardening as she stared into the forest. “No. We survived. That’s more than most could say after facing him.”

As they waited for the extraction team, the weight of Vell’s words settled over them like a shroud. The Shadow Consortium would know he was coming—and whatever happened next, Jon and Mira knew they’d just become pawns in a much larger game.

—

[Why did you let them go?]

“That’s a surprise for their guild, I am sure they will love it. Hahaha”

[You are so evil.] She said that but was also laughing.

“Let’s go clear up this dungeon and move on to the 2nd floor. Though, they were pretty strong, they just had to face me, bad luck on their part.”

—

Back at the guild. Jon was quickly healed and called into the guildmaster office for his report.

He stood in the guildmaster’s office, his posture stiff despite the lingering ache from his hastily healed injuries. The guildmaster sat behind his desk, his fingers steepled as he regarded him with an expectant glare.

“Report,” he commanded, his voice sharp and unyielding. “What happened with the target?”

He took a shaky breath, the memory of Vell’s cold, predatory gaze still clawing at his mind. “We encountered Vell in the forest, as ordered. He’s… not what we anticipated. His abilities are extraordinary—transformation, speed, summoned katanas that cut through reality itself. He overpowered us.”

The guildmaster leaned forward, his interest sharpening. “The briefing pegged him as a skilled fighter, not a monster. Did you capture him?”

“No,” he admitted, his voice tight with shame. “He turned the tables on us. Let us go, but not before…” He hesitated, sweat beading on his brow. “Not before doing something to Mira. He touched her, sent corrupted mana into her body. She was in agony.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Corrupted mana? Explain.”

“He said it would make her wish she were dead. And then he told me to deliver a message to the Shadow Consortium—that he’s coming for them, that their days are numbered. He now knows they’re behind this.”

A sudden, blood-chilling scream erupted from the guild hall beyond the office door, slicing through the tension like a blade. Jon’s heart lurched. “Mira,” he whispered, instinctively turning toward the sound.

The guildmaster rose, alarmed. “What in the hells—”

“I need to check on-” He felt pain rising in his body, his body organs being ripped to shreds.

—

In the Guild Hall

Moments earlier, Mira staggered into the guild hall, her face pale and slick with sweat. The bustling room—filled with guild members trading stories and tending gear—fell quiet as she stumbled forward, clutching her chest. Dark veins pulsed beneath her skin, spreading like cracks in glass, her breathing ragged and shallow.

“Mira?” a guild member called, concern creasing his brow as he approached. Others followed, forming a loose circle around her. “You okay? You look like death.”

She tried to wave them off, her voice a strained croak. “Stay… back…” But her legs buckled, and she collapsed to the floor with a heavy thud, her body convulsing. Blood trickled from her nose, then her eyes, staining the wooden planks beneath her.

“Get a healer!” someone shouted, kneeling beside her. Another reached to help her up, but as their hands neared, her skin began to glow—an eerie, sickly light pulsing from within.

“It hurts…” she gasped, her voice breaking into a scream as her body arched unnaturally. The veins under her skin bulged, splitting open in jagged tears. Her fingers clawed at the floor, nails snapping as she writhed. “Make it… stop!”

Before anyone could react, the corrupted mana reached its breaking point. With a final, gut-wrenching scream, her body exploded in a cataclysmic burst of energy and gore. The blast tore through the guild hall, a shockwave of raw power that shattered walls, splintered beams, and incinerated everything in its radius. Bodies were flung like ragdolls, the air thick with dust and the sickening stench of burned flesh. The once-sturdy building groaned, its foundations giving way as floors collapsed into rubble.

—

Back in the Office

The explosion’s force slammed into the guildmaster’s office, hurling Jon and the guildmaster to the ground. The walls cracked, and the ceiling buckled, raining debris. Jon’s ears rang, his vision swimming as he struggled to his knees, coughing through the dust.

“Mira…” he rasped, dread choking him. The guild hall—gone. He could feel it, the emptiness where life had been seconds ago. But then, the searing pain got worse in his own chest, sharp and sudden, mirroring what he’d seen in her.

The guildmaster, dazed but scrambling to his feet, saw him clutch his torso. “Jon, what’s happening to you?”

He looked down, horrified, as faint cracks spiderwebbed across his skin, the same dark veins pulsing faintly beneath. The corrupted mana Vell had slipped into him was awakening. He met the guildmaster’s eyes, desperation clawing at him.

“He said… he’s coming for the Consortium,” he managed, his voice trembling as the pain intensified. “He knows they ruined his life. He’s—”

The words caught in his throat as his body seized. The corrupted mana surged, cutting him off. His skin split, and with a final, choked cry, his body detonated.

The explosion was smaller than Mira’s but no less deadly in the confined space. The blast engulfed the office, shattering the desk, blowing out the windows, and consuming the guildmaster in a wave of heat and force. The already-weakened structure couldn’t withstand the combined assaults. The building collapsed entirely, a mountain of rubble burying all secrets within.