Beast Evolution Forge

The dark energy around Vell pulsed erratically, responding to his unease. Despite the hatred burning inside him, his instincts screamed that this woman was different from anyone he'd faced before. His wounds throbbed, reminding him of his current state.

"You seem troubled," she said, her voice carrying no mockery, just cold observation. "Is this dark power not working as well as you hoped?"

His eyes narrowed. The casual way she spoke about his ability suggested she knew more than she should. "What do you know about it?"

She took another step forward, and the air itself seemed to bend around her. "More than you. That darkness you're channeling... it's just a fraction of what you once were. A shadow of true power."

His energy lashed out instinctively, but she didn't even bother dodging. The dark tendrils simply passed through the space where she had been. He hadn't even seen her move – one moment she was there, the next she was behind him. Enjoy exclusive chapters from My Virtual Library Empire

"Slow," she said. "Unrefined. You're letting rage guide you instead of controlling it."

He spun, swinging his fist charged with dark energy. She caught it with one hand, and his power... fizzled, like water hitting hot steel. Up close, her eyes seemed to pull at his consciousness.

"Even at your peak, you would have struggled against me,"... Not sure about that one. "But like this? You're barely worth the effort."

The 'truth' in her words stung more than his injuries. He tried to summon more power, but his destroyed mana pathways screamed in protest. The darkness around him flickered weakly.

"Your family," she continued, still holding his fist. "They died because of one man's pride. An unauthorized action that has caused us... inconvenience."

Rage surged through him. "Inconvenience?" His free hand shot toward her throat, dark energy crackling—

She moved. He felt rather than saw the impact, his body flying across the room to crash into the wall. The wind left his lungs, and his vision blurred. When it cleared, she had not moved from her spot.

"Yes, inconvenience," she repeated. "You were being monitored for a reason. That fool's actions have disrupted years of careful observation."

He pushed himself up, blood seeping through his bandages. "Monitored? For what?"

"That's not your concern right now." She turned slightly, her chains clinking with the movement. "What matters is what happens next. Your rampage ends here."

He laughed, a hollow sound. "You'll have to kill me."

"No." Her reply was immediate. "Death would be wasteful. You still have potential, even in your current state."

The portal behind her pulsed, its red energy swirling faster. "You have two choices," she continued. "Continue this pointless struggle and force me to subdue you properly..." Her hand rested casually on her sword hilt. "Or come with me and learn what that darkness really is."

His mind raced. Even with his hatred clouding his judgment, he could tell the gap between them was absolute. If she wanted him dead, he would be. Instead, she was offering... what? Knowledge? Power?

'fuck that, these people have ruined my life, I will make them pay, even if it means my death.' Another seal began being slowly released which made the woman jump back instinctively.

"That's..." She punched him into the wall using only mana. "Sorry but I cannot allow that."

The impact shattered the concrete behind him, but he barely noticed the pain. Something was stirring inside him, old and terrible. The seal on his hand pulsed with a sickly light as it slowly began to unravel.

The woman's eyes contracted sharply. For the first time, her composed expression showed a crack of concern. The air in the room grew heavy, like the moment before a lightning strike.

Dark energy exploded from his body, but this was different from before. Where his previous power had been cold and empty, this felt vast and hungry. The walls began to crack, not from physical force, but from the sheer wrongness of the power leaking through the partial seal.

"That's enough," she said, her voice tight. She moved with blinding speed, but this time her steps weren't quite as assured. The power radiating from him made the very air resist her movement.

His vision blurred, memories that weren't his own flashing through his mind. Cities burning. Armies of players falling. A darkness that devoured everything it touched. The seal continued to unwind, each thread releasing more of that horrifying power.

"I SAID, ENOUGH!!" Her fist connected with his chest, wrapped in concentrated mana. The blow was precise, targeting the exact point to disrupt his energy flow. Under normal circumstances, it would have knocked him unconscious instantly.@@novelbin@@

Instead, the partial seal pulsed again. Dark energy met her mana, and for a brief moment, they could both see what lurked behind that seal – something that made even her inhuman eyes widen.

"Impossible," she whispered. "You're not ready for this level yet."

She struck again, faster this time, her hand glowing with carefully controlled mana. This time she hit multiple points in rapid succession, her movements too quick to follow. Each strike was calculated to shut down the seal's unraveling.

The power retreated, slowly at first, then all at once. Vell felt it slip away like water through his fingers, leaving him empty and cold. His legs gave out, and he slumped against the fractured wall.

She stood over him, watching carefully as the seal stabilized. Her composed mask was back in place, but there was a new tension in her posture.

"Interesting," she said after a moment. "Perhaps I underestimated your current state slightly." She flexed her hand, and he noticed faint burns where her mana had contacted his power. "But that power is not ready to be released. Not yet."

Vell tried to stand, but his body wouldn't respond. Whatever she'd done had shut down more than just the seal. "What... did you do to me?"

She didn't answer immediately, instead reaching down to grab him by the throat. Her eyes studied him with cold interest. "Time to go. The higher-ups will want to examine that seal properly."

A smirk crept across his face, catching her off guard. "You know... for someone so strong, you make the same mistake as everyone else."

"What—"

His next words came out as a dark whisper. "Assuming I'm down for the count."

Power exploded from his body – not the unstable energy from before, but something controlled, refined. This is the fragments left when the sealed closed and he was carefully suppressing this, waiting for exactly this moment. The woman's eyes widened a fraction as she realized her error.

In the space of a heartbeat, his sword materialized in his hand. The blade moved like black lightning, too fast for even her enhanced reflexes. There was a wet sound of steel through flesh, and her severed hand fell away from his throat.

Before she could process the injury, Vell's fist connected with her chest. All of his suppressed power concentrated into a single point of impact, enhanced by the momentum of his entire body. The blow sent her crashing through the concrete wall with devastating force.

Not waiting to see the aftermath, Vell turned and ran. His energy surged through his legs, propelling him through the facility's corridors at impossible speeds. He could feel her overwhelming presence behind him, but he had accomplished what he needed – creating enough distance for escape.

Back in the ruined room, the woman pulled herself from the wreckage of the wall. Her severed arm bubbled and writhed, fresh tissue and bone growing to replace what was lost. Within seconds, a new hand flexed where the old one had been.

Instead of anger, a small smile played across her lips as she watched the last traces of his power fade into the distance. "How unexpected," she murmured, brushing concrete dust from her leather jacket. "He wasn't just fighting with rage after all."

Her pupils contracted slightly as she considered this new development. "Perhaps this is why they wanted him monitored so carefully." She touched her newly regenerated hand to her chest, where his punch had landed. "The potential is even greater than we thought."

The red portal pulsed behind her, waiting. But for now, she made no move to pursue. This encounter had revealed something far more interesting than a simple rampage. She had seen it in his eyes in that final moment – not just hatred and power, but calculation. Control.

"Run for now, little shadow," she said softly. "We'll meet again when you're ready to learn the truth."

The portal's crimson light cast strange shadows as she turned to leave. "And next time..." Her smile widened ever so slightly. "I won't underestimate you quite so easily."

---

"Do you guys think master will be ok? I sensed a powerful presence not long ago." Wren asked, wanting to go in after him.

"He told us to wait here after we finish our mission, all we can do is hope nothing bad happens." Jolly's words betrayed her, even she was eager to go in after him but she knew, she would only get in the way. 'I need to get stronger... we all do.'

Jia just watched without saying a word, she trusted him and knew he would find a way out.

---

Vell's feet pounded against the cold floor as he raced through the facility. Each step sent fresh waves of pain through his body, but he forced himself forward. The mysterious woman's presence still lingered at the edges of his senses – overwhelming, inhuman, patient. She wasn't pursuing him, and somehow that was more unsettling than if she had given chase.

His energy flickered weakly around him, depleted from that final desperate attack. The sealed power that had briefly surfaced was once again locked away, leaving him feeling hollow. But the encounter had given him something unexpected – clarity.

'She knew about the seals,' he thought, his mind racing as fast as his feet. 'About what I used to be. The Organization wasn't just monitoring me – they were waiting for something.' The revelation should have fueled his rage, but instead it left him cold. He had been a pawn in some larger game, and his family had paid the price.

Blood seeped through his bandages, leaving a trail he knew he should care about but couldn't spare the energy to conceal. His body was reaching its limit, the combination of his injuries and power expenditure taking their toll. But he could sense his companions waiting ahead, their familiar presences acting like a beacon guiding him home.

He burst through the emergency exit, the cool mountain air hitting his face like a slap. The girls turned toward him immediately, their faces showing equal parts relief and concern.

"Master!" Wren rushed forward, her new power allowing her to reach his side in an instant. She steadied him as his legs threatened to give out. "You're hurt worse than before."

Jolly's hands clenched into fists as she took in his condition. "What happened in there? We felt something... different."

"Not here," he managed, his voice rough. "We need to move. Now."