Beast Evolution Forge

Chapter 58 Dungeon 9

The monster, sensing his bloodlust, bolted without a second thought. 'This is bad, so he knew about me following them all this time? Dammit, I was too careless.' She pushed her muscles to their limit, her breath coming in ragged gasps, until the mountains faded behind her. Finally, she allowed herself a moment to stop, her lungs burning. 'I need to inform his Highness about this. A dangerous human has entered our world.'

She tried to push herself forward, but a hand clamped down on her face before she could take another step. The world flipped, a dizzying kaleidoscope of earth and sky, before she was slammed face-first into the ground. A searing fire ripped through her body. The scent of damp earth and her own blood filled her nostrils. She tried to push herself up, but a crushing weight on her back pinned her down, grinding her into the dirt.

"Running away?" His voice was a cold, devoid of any trace of mercy. The oppressive weight of his mana settled around her, a suffocating shroud. She craned her neck, her vision swimming, to see him. His eyes pierced into her very essence.

"I knew you'd try to bolt the moment you saw an opening," he continued, his tone laced with disdain. "You're the cautious type, aren't you? The type that watches from the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike—or, in this case, flee. How pathetic."

She struggled beneath his grip, her claws scrabbling uselessly against the dirt. With a desperate cry, she summoned her mana, a barrier flickering to life around her. But his hand tightened, a cruel smile playing on his lips, and the barrier shattered like glass, the shards dissolving into nothingness.

"Don't bother," he said, his grip unyielding. "If you were strong enough to fight back, you would've tried already. But here you are, squirming like the worm you are."

Her mind raced, a frantic, trapped bird. 'I have to escape. If I don't… no, I can't die here. Not like this... my king...'

"You don't understand!" she gasped, her voice muffled against the dirt. "I was only following orders! I-"

He picked her up, only to slam her back to the ground with bone-jarring force. "I know that much, but what I am really curious about is who gave you those orders. It can't be mother, since you didn't fight alongside those guys and you are also running in a completely different direction," He leaned in closer, his grin barely contained, "Is there another powerful entity in this dungeon?"

Her blood turned to ice. 'No, how did he figure it out so fast? This is bad, I need to protect his highness.' Her lips pressed together in a thin line, refusing to utter a single word. But Vell's grin widened, his expression a mix of amusement and cruelty.

"Oh, I see. That silence says more than words ever could," he said, his voice laced with mockery. "There is indeed something else. And judging by that look in your eyes, someone important enough to make you willing to die to keep their secret."

She flinched, her claws digging into the dirt as she tried to summon her mana again but his grip was too strong but that's not the only reason, she could feel her mana being drained. She was no match for him in this state, and she knew it.

Experience tales at empire

"So you really won't talk huh?" He mused, his tone almost playful. "That's fine. I have other ways to make you speak."

He grabbed her by the throat, lifting her off the ground as though she weighed nothing. Her legs kicked weakly, her claws scratching futilely at his arm. The aura radiating from him made every breath a struggle.

"Last chance," he said, his eyes narrowing as his grip tightened. "Who are you running to? And don't even think about lying. I'll know."

Her vision blurred, her chest heaving as she struggled for air. She couldn't give up the information—not to him, not to anyone. If she did, it would mean doom for everything she'd sworn to protect.

"I… I'd rather die," she rasped, her voice barely audible.

He tilted his head, his expression hardening. "Wrong answer."

+

Without warning, he hurled her into a nearby boulder. The impact shattered the stone, sending shards flying as her body slumped to the ground. Pain wracked her frame, her senses screaming in protest.

She looked up, her vision swimming, to see him walking toward her with a calm, measured stride. His presence was overwhelming, like a storm bearing down on her, and yet… there was something else. A flicker of curiosity, of genuine intrigue, behind the menace in his eyes.

"You're brave, I'll give you that," he said, stopping a few paces from her broken form. "But bravery won't save you. If you won't talk, then I'll just have to find this 'important' of yours myself. You were going in that direction right" He looked behind him.

Her heart sank. "No… please…" she croaked, her voice a broken whisper.

"Then talk, where is he? What is he planning and why did he send you after me."

She hesitated, her mind a storm of conflicting emotions. Loyalty warred with fear, her instincts screaming at her to protect her master even as her body screamed for mercy.

"I… I won't…" she began, but her words faltered as his aura flared, it was now pressing down on her harder than before, even her eyes began to bleed.

"Wrong again," he said, his tone cold and final. "But I'll let you live, i need you to deliver a message to your leader," He dug deep in her eye with his finger and curved out her eyes, popping it like a balloon. "Tell your leader that I'm coming for him. And when I find him…" his voice dropped to a chilling whisper. "…he'll wish he'd stayed in the shadows like the little bitch he is."

The monster screamed in agony, clutching at her ruined eye socket as blood streamed down her face. Her cries echoed through the wasteland, raw and unfiltered, but Vell's expression remained as cold as stone.

"Now, get moving or do you want me to send you back in pieces?"

She trembled, her body wracked with pain, but the sheer force of his presence compelled her to obey. Struggling to her feet, she staggered backward, one hand pressed against her face as she slowly walked away, not daring to look back.

"Remember, this is mercy. Next time, you won't get the chance to crawl away."

She didn't respond, her breath ragged as she disappeared from view, driven by a mix of terror and resolve. 'I must warn His Highness… even if it costs me the last of my strength. This human is the devil himself.'