Transmigrated as the Villainess Princess - Chapter 51

Chapter 51: The Wild (10)

When Ahcehera moved deeper into the woods, the atmosphere shifted. The vibrant hum of life faded, replaced by an eerie silence.

The trees here were twisted, their bark blackened as though scorched by an invisible fire. The ground beneath her feet felt cold and damp, even though no rain had fallen recently.

Ahcehera activated her scanner, the holographic display glowing faintly as it mapped the terrain and detected energy fluctuations.

The results were immediate.

Dark energy signatures spiked all around her, their intensity growing stronger the further she ventured.

“This place is saturated with it,” she muttered, her eyes narrowing. “No wonder those beasts were drawn here.”

The scanner’s analysis provided further insight, the energy wasn’t natural.

It bore the hallmark of artificial manipulation, likely the result of experiments gone awry or a catastrophic release of unstable power.

In interstellar terms, it was known as “dark ability” or “destructive force.”

A forbidden energy capable of corrupting living beings and twisting the environment into a reflection of its chaos.

Ahcehera crouched beside a patch of withered plants, their leaves brittle and blackened at the edges.

She placed a small sample vial over the soil, letting her equipment extract a sample for analysis.

“This corruption is deep,” she mused, studying the readings. “It’s in the soil, the air… everything.”

Further ahead, she came across a stream. The water, once crystal clear, was now murky and tinged with an unnatural red hue.

Fish-like creatures floated lifelessly on the surface, their bodies grotesquely deformed.

Ahcehera’s hand tightened around her rifle. “This isn’t just residual energy, something is actively generating this.”

She followed the stream, her scanner alerting her to stronger energy spikes. Soon, she reached a clearing, and what she saw made her stomach churn.

At the center of the clearing stood a jagged obsidian-like structure, pulsating with a faint, ominous glow.

The ground around it was cracked and scorched, radiating waves of heat and corruption. The structure seemed alive, its surface writhing as though it was breathing.

Ahcehera’s heart pounded. “A dark core,” she whispered. “This is the source.”

Suddenly, her comm crackled to life. “Ahcehera, are you there?” Richard’s voice broke through the static.

“I’m here,” she replied, her voice steady despite the unease gripping her.

“Any signs of trouble?”

“Plenty. I’ve found the source of the dark energy, a core. It’s unlike anything I’ve seen before. I’m sending the data to you now.”

She tapped a command on her scanner, transmitting the information to Richard’s device.

“Got it,” Richard said after a brief pause. His tone was tense. “That core is dangerous. You need to get out of there.”

“I know,” Ahcehera replied, her gaze fixed on the pulsating structure.

“But if we leave it unchecked, it’ll keep spreading. More creatures will come, and this whole area will become uninhabitable.”

“Then what’s the plan?”

Ahcehera took a deep breath. “I’ll mark its location and return to the hut. We’ll need to prepare before attempting anything. Taking this thing down won’t be easy.”

“Understood,” Richard said. “Hurry back.”

Ahcehera turned away from the clearing, her every sense on high alert.

As she retraced her steps, the forest seemed to close in around her, the shadows growing darker and the air heavier.

But what she hadn’t noticed was the ominous shift where she had just been standing.

Unbeknownst to her, the obsidian core pulsated with newfound intensity. A swirling black-and-purple portal materialized above it, crackling with dark energy.

Waves of corrupted power surged from the portal, flowing into the core like rivers feeding a monstrous heart.

The effect was immediate.

The spread of demonic energy accelerated, seeping into the ground, twisting roots, and blackening the leaves on the trees. The air grew thicker, colder, and more oppressive.

Ahcehera paused mid-step, her senses tingling. She turned toward the source of the disturbance, her eyes narrowing. That’s when she saw it, a similar portal ahead of her path.

It hung suspended in the air, a vortex of swirling darkness. Tendrils of energy slithered outward, tainting everything they touched.

Suddenly, the portal erupted with movement as a pack of beasts burst through its threshold.

They were unlike anything she’d seen before, panther-like creatures, their black fur marred with glowing red veins.

Their eyes burned with malevolent light, and jagged bone-like protrusions jutted from their backs. A faint mist of demonic energy clung to their bodies, distorting the air around them.

Ahcehera’s breath hitched as she quickly ducked behind a cluster of boulders. Her heart pounded in her chest as she observed the creatures.

The beasts were in a frenzy, snarling and snapping at each other as if their rage couldn’t be contained.

Their movements were erratic but powerful, and their claws gouged deep grooves into the ground with every step.

Ahcehera activated her scanner, keeping her profile low. The holographic display lit up, detailing the creatures’ energy signatures.

“Overwhelming dark energy,” she muttered under her breath. “They’ve been fully corrupted… no chance of reasoning or taming.”

Her fingers tightened around her rifle as she continued to observe.

The beasts seemed disoriented, their focus darting in every direction as though searching for something, or someone.

They’re hunting.

She noted how they moved in a pack, their coordination frighteningly precise despite their berserk state.

One creature sniffed the air, its glowing eyes narrowing as it growled low and deep.

Ahcehera froze.

The beast’s head snapped toward her direction, and the others followed its lead. For a moment, the forest was deathly silent as the pack stared at her hiding spot.

Damn it.

Without hesitation, Ahcehera rolled to the side, just as a beast lunged at the boulders, shattering them into rubble with its claws.

She fired her rifle, a precise shot aimed at its head. The bullet struck true, but instead of falling, the beast roared in rage, the dark energy within it absorbing much of the impact.

“Figures,” she muttered, adjusting her stance. “Time to move.”

She activated her agility-enhancing boots, propelling herself away from the pack with lightning speed. The beasts gave chase, their snarls echoing through the corrupted forest.

Ahcehera zigzagged through the trees, using her mental power to manipulate vines and branches to block the beasts’ path.

She threw small explosive devices behind her, creating temporary barriers of fire and shrapnel.