You Belong to Me!

The Storm-Winged Lion soared ahead, wings slicing through the air with graceful precision, Lyra riding it like a queen above war.

Below, the formation continued its steady advance.

As they ventured deeper into the Silver Wing Canopy, a ghostly white mist began to thicken around them, curling around trees like slithering spirits. The late afternoon sun both of them hung high above, twin golden orbs casting broken rays through the dense jungle roof.

Despite the brightness above, the jungle floor was dim, quiet… unnaturally so.

Austin narrowed his eyes. "Something's wrong. Too quiet. Too clean. Even the birds aren't making noise..."

After hours of steady travel, the group reached the boundary of the inner region—the domain where normal beasts feared to tread, and even elite evolvers rarely stepped foot without a clear purpose.

Up front, Denny Drevas and the ten elite warriors of Silver Wing Shelter led the way, riding atop their massive beast souls like kings and queens of the jungle.

Their gazes were calm, yet wary. This was their territory they knew what lurked in these woods… and what had already gone missing.

Suddenly, one of the women near the front raised her hand.

"Stop."

Her voice was calm, but commanding.

Everyone halted instinctively.

Confused glances rippled through the crowd. Several elites turned their heads, some reaching for weapons out of reflex. Tension thickened.

The woman's name was Marry Quill, an elite of Silver Wing Shelter. With a graceful, battle-worn elite in her early 30s, standing tall atop a sleek silver-eyed hawk beast.

Her frame was athletic and elegant, her curly brown hair tied back in a loose bun, a calm but serious expression on her face.

Her eyes glowed faintly with soft lavender light as she scanned the jungle ahead, the Genesis Core within her chest thrumming with energy.

"…We're inside an illusion," she said, exhaling slowly.

It cut through the silence like a blade. That single sentence sent a wave of murmurs through the formation.

From above, Austin instinctively leaned forward as Lyra narrowed her eyes at the commotion.

"Are you sure?" one of the younger Silver Wing elites asked skeptically, clutching a dagger.

Marry nodded, unwavering. "I've already activated my Core. The fog, the path, even the trees around us they're not real. We've been inside it for a while now."

Denny turned around, his beast snorting smoke as he raised a hand to silence the murmurs. His expression was firm, voice carrying weight.

"She's not mistaken," he said. "Marry's Genesis Core holds a Rare-Class Talent: Illusion Pierce."

"She can detect false environments and traps the moment we step into them."

Lyra's voice echoed coldly from above. "If this is an illusion… then someone or something doesn't want us to reach the inner region."

Kaizen's brows furrowed. "Or maybe they're trying to lead us somewhere else."

Garry glanced around. "No movement, no monsters, no sound. Just silence and fog. I should've known something was off."

Austin stared into the mist, unease stirring in his gut. His Void Genesis Core pulsed faintly, as if watching.

"A trap already? We haven't even met the real Abyssal-Class beast yet..."

Behind his silence, Olivia's voice slithered through his mind like a teasing ghost.

"Hehehe~ Looks like the forest doesn't want you dead yet, darling. It wants to play first~"

Austin's jaw tightened. "If this illusion is meant to confuse us… then it's either intelligent or set up in advance. Either way, it's not normal."

Meanwhile, several warriors began whispering nervously, gripping weapons tighter.

Someone muttered, "Could it be a territory skill? Is the beast already watching us?"

Another added, "Or maybe it's a trap laid by an evolved alien that uses illusions as defense... or bait."

Marry's glowing eyes swept over the fog. "The trees here are repeating. Every third tree to our right is the same with cracked bark, dual roots, and moss growing in the exact same pattern. We're moving in circles."

Denny gritted his teeth. "Tch. Bastard's toying with us."

He turned toward Lyra, Kaizen, and Garry. "Any suggestions?"

Kaizen crossed his arms. "We can burn through it. Use flame-type beast skills or genesis core power to carve a path. It'll reveal whether the illusion is reactive or preset."

Lyra didn't even look at them. "No. It's too risky. If the mist is laced with hallucinogens, fire could spread it further. We'll anchor our position here and reset our bearings first."

She dismounted from her lion with fluid grace, her feet touching the mossy ground softly.

Austin watched her, still silent. His heart thudded with a growing chill.

"Something wasn't right."

Then suddenly… A low pulse echoed through the mist.

It wasn't sound. It was… vibration. A sensation that traveled through their cores, brushing against their minds like a cold whisper.

Several beast souls instinctively roared or flared defensively.

Denny's beast growled, its claws digging into the ground as a tremor pulsed through the earth.

Then, it appeared.

A shadow, formless at first, slowly took shape ahead of the group—midway between the tree line and the formation.

It was pitch black, a living void with no defined edges. Only its eyes were visible—one white, one glowing red, they were seductive, hypnotic, and terrifyingly calm.

They shimmered like twin stars about to collapse.

Its presence carried no roar, no sound—just a crushing pressure that fell upon them like the weight of a buried cathedral.

Every warrior, no matter their level, tightened their grip on their weapons—hands trembling, sweat forming on brows. Even the hardened elites instinctively activated defense postures.

The atmosphere… froze.

A voice cracked from somewhere in the formation.

"Wh-What… what is that creature…?"

Even those atop powerful beasts were silent. For once, no commands. No jokes. Just stillness.

Austin narrowed his eyes from the ground, standing beside Lyra just a few steps behind the front formation. His breath was shallow, dagger resting in his palm but that gaze… those monstrous eyes… they weren't scanning the army.

They were locked directly on him.

"Why… why is it staring only at me?"

"Everyone's here… elites, powerhouses… Yet it's fixated on me like I'm the only one that matters."

His chest tightened. "If that thing attacks… I'll die in seconds. With no defense or time to react."

Olivia's voice oozed into his mind like silk-draped thorns.

"Ara~ Ara~ Austin, you're really talented at attracting attention~ Even a beast like this can't resist you. An Abyssal-Class… fufu. Good luck surviving~"

"Not this time, Olivia…" Austin gritted his teeth.

Everyone—Kaizen, Garry, Daisy, Denny, and others focused on the shadow with furrowed brows.

None of them looked afraid…

But each of them wore the same expression, caution.

Real danger.

Daisy's voice broke the silence, murmuring under her breath. "M-Maybe this is the Abyssal-Class alien we came to hunt…"

She glanced at Kaizen. "All our Abyssal-Class beast souls hover between 3,000 and 4,000 power level. Kaizen, Lyra, Garry… you three have the highest."

Garry stepped forward slightly, eyes never leaving the shadow.

"...This thing's aura feels like it's beyond 4,000. Or maybe even higher."

Even he sounded unsure.

The mist pulsed again.

And then it moved.

Not an attack. Not a leap.

The black mist slowly peeled away, dissolving like vapor under sunlight.

And from within the dark, a woman stepped out.

The sight made jaws drop.

Her form was inhumanly beautiful, a crimson-haired enchantress, her locks flowing like wildfire in the air. Two delicate fangs peeked from her lips, sharp yet sensuous. Behind her, two black wings unfurled like a midnight cloak—silent, elegant, deadly.

Her skin was pale moonlight.

Her eyes shimmered like bloodied rubies.

And her gaze… was locked still on Austin.

A stunned silence gripped the field.

Even the elites, unflinching seconds ago, stared in disbelief.

One of the Silver Wing warriors whispered what no one else dared say aloud, "A… humanoid beast…?"

Another followed, voice cracking.

"No. Not just that. She's a Vampire-Type… and she's Abyssal-Class...!"

Everyone's minds reeled.

Humanoid Origin Beasts were rarer than legends. On Earth, even hearing about one would cause top-tier organizations to deploy entire fleets to capture it. The Soul Crystal of such a beast wouldn't just be valuable…

It would be worth billions.

Daisy's pupils trembled. "This... is real? I thought they were just stories…"

Someone else muttered, "If this was reported back to Earth… powerful families would start wars over her beast soul."

Emotions flared through the crowd with fear, excitement, greed, lust, awe.

But Austin?

He felt none of those, he only felt cold.

The vampire—the woman-beast just smirked slightly at him.

Not friendly, not mocking, just… knowingly.

Austin's fingers clenched around his dagger hilt until his knuckles turned white. "What does she want from me…?"

"Attack!"

Without hesitation, the elites roared their commands. In a flash, Abyssal-Class beast souls were unleashed earth-shaking entities roaring forward. Bladed wings, molten fangs, shadow tendrils, elemental claws—a hurricane of destruction erupted from both shelters.

Over a hundred evolvers moved as one.

Explosions of power illuminated the canopy like a solar storm—dozens of Origin Skills rained down toward the crimson-haired vampire. Trees disintegrated. The ground cracked. The very air distorted from the combined might of multiple elite-level powers.

But… She didn't even blink.

The vampire simply smirked, her red eyes glowing with faint amusement.

A strange glow flickered beside her hand.

A weapon appeared out of thin air—a curved sword, black as midnight, its edge etched with pulsing crimson runes that twisted like living things. As soon as it touched her palm, her figure blurred—vanishing completely.

The attacks struck the ground where she once stood.

BOOM—!!

A series of explosions ripped through the jungle floor, sending shockwaves and dust into the sky.

Screams echoed.

Agonized, choking screams.

Someone shouted. "Behind us!!"

All eyes turned.

And what they saw froze the blood in their veins.

Bodies lay in halves.

Seven elite evolvers men and women who had survived countless beast hunts—were now nothing but torn meat on the jungle floor. Blood soaked into the roots. Limbs twitching. Eyes wide open.

Alongside them, twelve beast souls—Ordinary and Blazed-Class were slashed clean through, some still dissolving into light.

Even more chilling…

A Stellar-Class beast soul—a creature that should have been near-invincible—was sliced clean in two, from skull to spine.

They were dead.

Just like that from a single strike.

The vampire stood once again at the center of the field.

Gracefully and casually. Like nothing had happened.

Her sword dripped with glowing black-red liquid that hissed as it hit the ground.

She twirled it once in her hand and tapped it on her shoulder like a stick.

Austin couldn't move. His feet were rooted to the ground. His instincts screamed at him to run. To hide. To disappear.

"That sword… she moved faster than the eye could follow."

"What even is she? That wasn't a skill… it was raw physical slaughter."

Beside him, even Lyra's pupils had contracted.

Kaizen had clenched both fists so tightly, blood dripped between his fingers.

Denny looked like he had seen death itself.

And Garry… he whispered in a low voice, "...One move. She killed a Stellar-Class soul beast… in one move..."

—

BOOM... BOOM... The ground trembled under the advance of a new threat.

The red-haired vampire's gaze shifted. Her crimson eyes locked onto the jungle to her right, where the trees began to quake.

Emerging from the foliage came a colossal Abyssal-Class Centipede its segmented body covered in jagged, blood-red chitin, each leg a gleaming scythe. Foul green mist hissed from its mandibles as it loomed forward with violent intent.

It wasn't just a monster.

It was a beast soul, bound to one of Zenlife Shelter's elite warriors—a man known for his brutality and control over venom-type aliens.

"Go!" he commanded, fury burning in his eyes. "Tear her apart!"

The centipede screeched and launched forward, venom already gathered at its fangs—a corrosive blast meant to dissolve armor, flesh, even stone.

The battlefield stilled everyone braced for the clash.

From every direction, elites powered up their own skills and techniques. Fire roared, winds surged, weapons glowed.

"A full-force assault."

"This will push her back."

"She can't dodge everything..."

But the vampire simply turned her head slightly toward the charging centipede… and frowned.

Her face twisted in visible disgust. Like a queen forced to witness a peasant bathing in sewage.

As if the very sight of the creature offended her existence.

She raised her sword slowly, almost lazily and then… She vanished.

SSSSHHHHHHRRRRRK—!!

The centipede unleashed its venom just a breath too late.

A boiling stream of acid hissed through the air, melting through tree trunks and pulverizing stone where she had stood.

But she was no longer there.

FLASH!

A red light streaked across the field. Before anyone could blink.

CRACK—!!

CRACK—CRACK—CRACK—!!!

Sixty four legs of the massive centipede exploded off its body in bloody arcs, landing with wet thuds around the jungle floor.

The beast twisted and collapsed mid-lunge, its momentum lost, its body writhing violently on the ground.

Acidic green fluid sprayed from the open stumps like geysers. Its segmented torso crashed down with a BOOM, wriggling helplessly.

The vampire reappeared gracefully. Just ahead of the broken creature, completely unscathed, her sword humming with residual crimson light.

But her expression was still that same look of mild revulsion.

She glanced down at the twitching centipede like it was something she'd stepped on accidentally.

From the formation, a voice howled in anguish.

"NOOOOO—!!!"

A man dropped to his knees, face twisted in horror.

His armor bore the insignia of Zenlife Shelter his aura undeniable.

He was the owner of the Abyssal-Class Centipede beast soul.

His pride, his legacy.

Shattered in less than a second.

He slammed his fists into the dirt, eyes wide in disbelief.

"You… you bloodthirsty bitch! I spent six years evolving that beast! SIX YEARS!"

His roar cracked with pain, not physical but soul-deep devastation.

The vampire didn't even spare him a glance. As if his mourning was beneath her notice.

She raised her gaze again, locked it on Austin.

And for the first time, her lips moved.

Her voice was calm and cold. "You belong to me."

The jungle fell silent.

Everyone's minds blanked.

The elites forgot to breathe.

Even the mist recoiled.