Chapter 425: Delivery?

Meanwhile, outside of Mark’s corrupted mind, Darren was sitting outside the Enforcer’s base, supposedly "guarding" it. There wasn’t much for him to do, and even if there was a threat, he wasn’t nearly as qualified to handle it as those he was supposedly protecting.

Still, he appreciated the job and took it very seriously.

Several large lorries approached the base.

Darren immediately straightened, reaching toward his weapon.

Then he recognised someone.

Kaela.

She had zoomed off on one of her many motorbikes a while earlier, and seeing her casually sitting on top of one of the lorries immediately eased his tension.

At least he knew who was responsible.

The lorries came to a stop.

Kaela hopped down and stretched as though she had just returned from a casual shopping trip.

"I’ve come with a delivery."

Darren stared at her.

"Delivery?"

Kaela smiled.

That smile immediately made him suspicious.

The back doors of the first lorry opened.

Darren’s expression changed.

Inside were monsters.

And not dead ones either.

Their bodies were mangled and covered in wounds. Several were unconscious, while others twitched weakly, their breathing shallow as they barely clung to life.

Darren instinctively backed away.

"You need help carrying those things?"

Kaela laughed.

"Nah, you’re good. I’m just going to take them through there."

She pointed toward the large hole in the reinforced chamber from earlier.

Darren looked at the monsters again.

"You know those things are still alive, right?"

"That’s the point."

Before Darren could ask anything else, another vehicle pulled up.

Greg stepped out with several black-suited men.

He looked at the lorries, then at the monsters, and lastly at the hole in the wall.

His brows furrowed.

"How did you guys manage that?"

Kaela simply smiled.

"You guys can leave now."

Greg blinked.

"What?"

It wasn’t a request.

The black suits exchanged glances before reluctantly beginning to move.

Greg remained where he was for another moment.

"Should I lock down the surrounding area?"

Kaela shrugged.

"I honestly don’t know how this is going to go."

She couldn’t predict what Ethan was facing inside Mark’s mind, or whether the ritual would actually work.

"But we’ll do our best to contain it."

Greg nodded reluctantly.

"Understood."

He then turned toward his men.

"Let’s go."

As the group began leaving, one of the black suits approached Greg.

"Sir."

Greg looked back.

"The tracker on Dr Elias has been removed. He’s completely off the grid."

Greg stopped.

His expression darkened.

Elias had disappeared.

After everything that had happened at the facility, Greg had no idea what the doctor was planning, and considering how much he had invested in his research, losing Elias was more than an inconvenience.

It was a very serious problem.

Greg clenched his fists.

"Find him."

"Yes, sir."

The convoy departed.

Greg glanced back at the base one final time before disappearing down the road. He had no idea what they were up to, but whatever it was, he knew he couldn’t stop either. All he could do was hope they didn’t cause another mess that he had to clean up.

Meanwhile, Kaela began carrying the monsters inside.

One by one, she brought the mangled, barely living creatures through the damaged section of the reinforced chamber.

The demon possessing Elara stood beside Mark, watching.

"Place them around him."

Kaela lowered another monster onto the ground.

"Like this?"

"Closer."

Kaela adjusted its position.

The demon’s expression remained calm and arrogant as it watched her continue.

But beneath that appearance, it was struggling.

The blood ritual required an enormous amount of mana.

Maintaining the connection between Ethan and Mark was already difficult, especially with Ethan fighting somewhere deep inside Mark’s corrupted mind.

The demon couldn’t afford to let the connection break.

Not now.

So it continued pouring mana into the ritual without showing any of the strain.

Kaela returned with another monster.

Then another.

And another.

Soon, several barely living giant creatures surrounded Mark.

The demon watched silently.

Then something moved beneath Mark’s skin.

Kaela’s eyes narrowed.

Dark tendrils suddenly emerged from various parts of Mark’s body. They twisted through the air before plunging into the monsters surrounding him. The creatures convulsed as their bodies began weakening almost immediately.

Energy was being siphoned from them.

The tendrils greedily drained their living essence and fed it directly into Mark.

Kaela stared.

"Well, that’s fucking weird."

The demon ignored her.

Its attention remained focused on Mark.

The dark-green aura surrounding him suddenly flared.

Mana surged through his body.

His muscles tightened as energy flooded into him. His breathing became steadier, his heart rate settled, and the trembling that had been running through his body began to subside.

Mark was stabilising.

The demon allowed itself a faint smile.

"Good."

Another surge of energy entered Mark.

The aura surrounding him became thicker.

His body was finally receiving what it needed: living essence of monsters. Something capable of satisfying the monstrous hunger inside him while simultaneously giving his body the energy required to maintain its transformation.

But there was a problem.

The more energy Mark absorbed, the more unstable the connection became. The sudden influx of mana was enormous, flooding through the ritual like a wave. The markings surrounding Mark and Elara’s bodies brightened.

It immediately reinforced the ritual, pouring more of its own mana to counteract it.

The crimson markings burned even brighter.

Kaela noticed.

"Everything alright?"

The demon looked toward her.

Its arrogant expression hadn’t changed.

"Continue."

Kaela raised an eyebrow.

"That’s not really an answer."

"It is the only answer you need."

Kaela stared at it for a moment before shrugging.

"Whatever."

She turned around and headed back toward the lorries, carrying over more and more monsters.

The demon returned its attention to Mark.

It could feel Ethan somewhere deep within Mark’s corrupted mind; the connection remained intact.

But it was becoming harder to maintain.

And Ethan was still fighting.

If Ethan failed, none of this would matter.

Mark would remain trapped inside his own corrupted mind, and if the connection collapsed before Ethan reached him, there might not be another chance.

The demon’s eyes narrowed.

Then another surge of mana ripped through the ritual.

The markings flared.

Its expression remained composed, but the strain was becoming increasingly difficult to conceal. The influx of energy was stabilising Mark’s body, but was making the connection between his mind and Ethan’s increasingly unstable.

The demon looked toward the darkness beyond the ritual.

For the first time, its arrogant expression concealed something more serious.

Concern.

’Come on, kid.’

The connection trembled again.

The demon’s eyes narrowed.

’You’d better hurry.’

Because while Mark’s body was finally beginning to stabilise outside...

Inside his corrupted mind, Ethan’s job wasn’t finished.