Lord Of Beasts

Ethan let Elara and Kaela have their fun, just as he’d promised.

Many of the mutated men had beast-like transformations, which he was sure Beast Suppression would be effective against, but he didn’t intrude. There was no reason to interfere when the two women were clearly more than capable of handling the situation themselves.

The sounds of their battle continued to echo throughout the compound behind him. Gunfire mixed with the heavy impacts of fists against mutated bodies, while the occasional roar of one of the transformed men shook the surrounding buildings.

But Ethan paid little attention to it.

Something else in the compound had caught his attention.

They had all sensed it before arriving, that strange and sinister presence that had felt almost impossible to identify from a distance. Now that Ethan was actually inside the compound, the feeling had become considerably stronger.

And more importantly, he’d found the source.

Those strange drugs the men were taking undoubtedly had something to do with it. Whatever they were calling them, whatever process they were using to create them, Ethan was almost certain they weren’t the true source of the strange presence he’d sensed.

There was something else.

Something inside the central building, something far more important.

And Ethan intended to find out exactly what it was.

As such, while the compound descended further into chaos behind him, he casually moved through it all as though none of it concerned him.

Still partially assimilated with Wolfy, he moved from rooftop to rooftop, using the small buildings scattered throughout the surprisingly large compound as stepping stones. His enhanced physical abilities made the distance almost effortless to cross, allowing him to leap from one roof to another without breaking his stride.

Below him, Kaela and Elara continued tearing through the mutated men.

Another explosion of violet aura flashed across the courtyard, followed almost immediately by a crimson blur cutting through the battlefield.

Ethan barely glanced down.

’They work quite well together.’

Within seconds, he reached the centre of the compound.

There stood an oddly positioned warehouse.

Unlike the other buildings, it didn’t appear to have been constructed with any practical purpose in mind. Its position was strange, almost deliberately isolated from the rest of the compound, and the structure itself seemed out of place compared to everything surrounding it.

It didn’t look like the kind of warehouse built because someone needed storage space.

It looked like something had been built around it, or more like something had been built to hide what was within it.

Ethan slowly looked over the structure.

His instincts immediately began screaming at him.

’This is it.’

Whatever this entire operation was based around, he was about to find out.

Ethan kicked the warehouse door open.

Boom!

The heavy metal door was torn from its frame and slammed against the interior wall with enough force to send the sound echoing throughout the building. He stepped inside without hesitation, his predatory red eyes sweeping across the dark interior.

”Fuck me...”

In the centre of the warehouse was a swirling black and purple Gate, identical to the ones he had entered previously, albeit smaller. Yet the moment Ethan saw it, his suspicions were confirmed.

’I knew it!’

He’d had a feeling ever since nearing the compound, but there was no mistaking that strange presence anymore.

It was a Gate.

But it wasn’t a normal Gate.

Surrounding it was an enormous collection of machinery. Metal frameworks had been constructed around the portal, with thick cables running from one machine to another and disappearing into the walls.

Strange screens displayed constantly changing numbers and readings, while several pieces of equipment appeared to be directly connected to the Gate itself. The entire setup looked less like something designed to enter a Gate and more like some kind of containment system.

Ethan stared at the machinery.

He couldn’t even begin to understand what most of the machines were supposed to do.

’What the hell is all this?’

His curiosity only grew, and he quickly began to put two and two together.

’If this was a normal Gate, the Association would’ve detected it, and it would have been cleared already. But they don’t seem to know about it.’

At least the black suit active in this region didn’t know about it.

Assuming that was the case, there had to be a reason for this Gate not being on their radar. Ethan’s expression became more serious as his gaze shifted from the machinery back towards the small Gate.

’Let’s see what we’re dealing with.’

His mana shifted.

’Partial Assimilation: Spark.’

The Fenrir-like traits receded as fiery mana surged through Ethan’s body, becoming considerably more prominent around him. His predatory eyes were now engulfed in flames as his heightened physical senses were replaced by a deep mana sensitivity.

Ethan closed his eyes.

He stopped looking and started feeling.

The world around him changed almost immediately as he took in his surroundings.

’Incredible...’

The machinery hummed with energy, mana flowed through the cables, and the air itself seemed to vibrate with the presence of the Gate.

That’s when Ethan felt it.

The Gate had a mana signature, one far more powerful than the size of the portal suggested. His senses followed the flow of energy, tracing the mana through the machinery surrounding the Gate.

Then he understood.

The technology was both stabilising the Gate and suppressing it, in turn concealing its mana signature.

Ethan’s eyes opened slowly.

’They’re hiding it.’

The realisation settled heavily in his mind.

They weren’t simply stopping a Gate Break so they could continuously enter the Gate, but it was also under the Association’s radar.

Ethan stared at the machinery for several seconds.

Then his expression slowly changed.

’These guys aren’t heroes.’

They weren’t doing this to protect people, far from it.

’They’re using Gates as a farm.’

It felt absurd, yet everything suddenly made sense.

The beasts and monsters inside the Gate weren’t just being eliminated; they were being harvested as materials. Whatever they needed to create those strange drugs, they were getting it from the creatures inside.

Gates that threatened humanity were now being deliberately maintained.

’They don’t care about Gate Breaks or the death and destruction they cause.’

His expression darkened.

’They’re using the beasts and monsters inside to produce those drugs.’

But that left one important question.

’Who’s behind all of this?’