Lord Of Beasts

Another series of operatives rushed over with several sets of clothing, along with the phones Ethan had requested.

He stared at them for a moment.

’I still don’t understand how they do things so quickly.’

Not to mention how many of them there were.

He took the clothes and changed, finally getting rid of the hoodie wrapped around his waist. Elara changed as well, just for the sake of it, while Kaela lay there on the ground, deeply asleep, despite being practically naked.

”Get up.”

Ethan kicked her carefully, and rather than jolting awake like he was expecting, she just rolled over to the other side.

A couple more kicks later, she finally groaned, ”What do you want?”

”I’ve got vodk-”

Before he could even finish, she sprang up, but rather than alcohol, Ethan was holding some clothes and biker gear.

”You fucking-”

She clenched her fists before sighing.

Even Kaela couldn’t help but agree that being completely bare-skinned in the middle of a ruined compound was pushing things a little too far. She shredded the clothes and biker gear to her own liking before putting them on.

Several operatives also helped Mark into some clothes while he remained unconscious. Even in his normal condition, he was still massive, and it took multiple black suits to get everything in place.

Once everyone was at least properly dressed, the questioning began.

Ethan, Elara, and Kaela provided their report, explaining the Gate-farming operation, the criminals behind it, the drugs, the experiments, the monsters, the destruction, and everything they had discovered inside the compound.

The main thing that interested the operatives was the technology the criminals had developed.

That information was arguably more important than the drugs themselves.

The criminals hadn’t merely discovered a way to conceal Gates but had developed a method of stabilising them.

That distinction was enormous.

A concealed Gate was still a temporary threat that had to be dealt with, but a stabilised Gate was something entirely different. If the technology could be perfected and reproduced, a Gate could potentially remain open without the immediate danger of everything within being able to spill into the outside world.

That meant more time.

Time to prepare, assemble a proper clearing squad, and study what existed on the other side before sending people through. And, perhaps most importantly, it meant the possibility of turning other worlds into usable territory.

Entire dimensions could potentially become places the Association could colonise, establish operations in, gather resources from, or simply use as additional space.

The implications were staggering.

Ethan understood immediately why the technology mattered.

It opened far too many doors.

And if the Association obtained it, it would give them an enormous amount of additional power.

Power Ethan wasn’t entirely sure he wanted them to have.

Still, judging by the state of the compound, there didn’t seem to be much left for them to work with. The equipment had been destroyed, the warehouses had been reduced to ruins, and anything useful was scattered across the wreckage.

Even if the Association recovered parts of it, replicating the technology wouldn’t be easy.

’That’s probably for the best.’

The black-suited operatives listened in silence, their expressions becoming increasingly difficult to read as the report continued.

One of them eventually lowered his notepad.

”Thank you for the report and for doing everything you could to preserve what may be of use.”

Another operative glanced toward Mark, who remained unconscious nearby.

His expression immediately became more serious.

”And is this man a rogue Titled or has he consumed one of those pills?”

Ethan paused for a moment.

’To be honest, I don’t even fucking know.’

The drugs had clearly played a role, but whatever was happening with Mark seemed different from the transformations they had witnessed earlier. His body hadn’t merely mutated randomly. It had adapted, reinforced itself, and continued developing until it reached a level none of them had expected.

It had been much more stable and potentially far more dangerous.

”He recently received a Titled and is an Enforcer.”

Ethan could have very easily told them that it wasn’t their business and scared them off, but that would only cause Mark issues in the long run. This was the best way to cover for him, especially after omitting anything about his rampage.

There was no need to tell Greg’s people that the unconscious man lying nearby had spent several minutes growing into a twenty-metre-tall monster and trading blows with two A Rank Titled.

Some things were better kept to themselves, and Elara and Kaela understood that perfectly.

The operatives exchanged looks before nodding.

”Thank you, sir. That will be all.”

Ethan nodded back, his hand briefly touching the strange mark on his neck before he looked toward the burning remains of the compound. It had been one hell of a day, and he had a feeling it was one that would eventually come back to bite him.

’In the neck again, maybe. Haha!’

-

It wasn’t long before Ethan and the others were driven back toward Darren’s house under a massive Association escort. The convoy was large enough to make them wonder whether Greg had decided to send half the country’s manpower just to impress them.

They were placed inside the back of a luxurious van equipped with comfortable seats, food, and enough drinks to keep them occupied for the journey.

Kaela and Elara immediately took advantage of the food.

Ethan had other things on his mind.

There was still the reward for the objective he had received before entering the Gate, and he hadn’t even had a chance to check what it was. But more importantly, the strange marking on his neck was beginning to concern him.

He had laughed it off earlier, but it was unnerving, especially when matched with the memory of Aisha calmly disintegrating into dust, which just wouldn’t leave him.

There had been no panic or fear in her slitted eyes, almost as though everything had gone exactly according to plan. And Ethan couldn’t shake the feeling that the marking wasn’t simply some harmless reminder of their encounter.

’I have Beast Resistance, and so far it doesn’t seem to have any physical effect on me.’

He rubbed the side of his neck.

’Maybe she can use it to track my location.’

His expression tightened.

’Or maybe it’s a slow poison that will eat away at me or try to control me.’

Ethan didn’t know.

But Aisha’s words bothered him even more.

’Perhaps the answer is closer to you than you realise...’

At the time, Ethan had assumed she was speaking in riddles, but he couldn’t stop repeating it to himself.

’How’s the answer to what being vessels mean close to me?’

His gaze drifted across the van.

Elara sat beside him, quietly eating while Kaela was already far more interested in the food than anything else happening around her.

Ethan stared at Elara absentmindedly.

’Aisha seemed to know about her.’

His eyes narrowed slightly.

’So maybe she meant her.’

The thought had barely settled when Elara looked back at him, and their eyes met.

For a brief moment, neither of them moved.

Elara’s expression changed.

She appeared almost flustered for a moment while Ethan stared deeply into her eyes, but then her eyes were consumed by red, and a slow smile crept up her face.

Ethan’s instincts screamed.

’What the-?!’

He immediately tried to resist, but the force that followed wasn’t physical.

It was mental.

The same skill that had allowed him to resist the Golden Flutterer’s influence surged instinctively through his mind, desperately attempting to hold on to his consciousness.

But it wasn’t enough.

Whatever Elara was doing was on an entirely different level.

Ethan’s vision darkened.

The sounds of the van disappeared, Kaela’s loud chewing faded into nothing, and while his body remained seated, his consciousness was dragged somewhere else entirely.

And Ethan could do nothing but follow...