This Beast-Tamer is a Little Strange

Their mission was far from complete as long as those researchers weren't dealt with.

Kain and the others looked for them together, while the remaining guards controlled by Bea were used to expand the search. Under Bea's influence, the controlled guards spread out across the facility, methodically searching each room for any of the remaining researchers.

Of course, when a kidnapped civilian was located Kain made a mental note of their location and vowed to come back for them once it was safe.

Finally, good news came from one such controlled guard who transmitted the location of a hidden room.

Although they couldn't see into the room, the spiritual contract of this particular guard, which appeared as a ghost-like figure, was apparently extremely sensitive to auras of life—and it happened to sense 5 such auras within this hidden room. Which also happened to be the number of total missing researchers that should still be alive.

The three headed toward the transmitted location, while Bea also controlled the guards still searching around the building to also head toward this room.

Upon arrival, they burst into room locked room by forcefully barreling it down—the massive Aegis playing the main role in destroying the door.

Inside, the room was as chaotic as the scene of carnage they'd just left.

One researcher, a wiry man with frantic movements, was collecting notes and materials, stuffing them haphazardly space rings—interestingly he had one for each finger.

Another, a stout woman with a grim expression, was methodically destroying equipment and even the living test subjects they couldn't take with them, shattering glass containers and slitting the throats of tied up kidnapped victims, whose now pale and lifeless faces were frozen into expressions of shock and despair.

The remaining three researchers were crouched in a circle, their hands glowing with spiritual energy as they worked on activating an array carved into the floor. The sigils glowed with an ominous red light, pulsing like a heartbeat.

Not knowing what they had planned, but knowing they should stop it, Kain and Serena both ordered their contracts to attack them.

Unfortunately, before the attacks could be released, the array flared to life. The room trembled, and an ear-splitting roar tore through the air. The glow from the array became blinding, and a massive, grotesque figure emerged from the light.

The creature was a nightmare brought to life—a hulking abomination of mismatched parts. Its body was a patchwork of spiritual creatures fused together, their forms barely recognizable beneath the hideous fusion of them all.

Multiple heads, each resembling a beast mid-scream, jutted from its torso, while its many limbs were a ranged from humanoid, to clawed, to taloned.

The creature's roar reverberated through the room, a chilling blend of anguish and fury. The air around it distorted, and an oppressive aura descended, forcing even Kain and Serena to momentarily falter.

The researchers looked on in twisted satisfaction.

Kain gritted his teeth, as the numerous pairs of eyes turned in their direction. "You've got to be kidding me."

The creature lunged.

Aegis moved to intercept, slamming its stone fists into the abomination. The impact sent shockwaves through the room, but the creature barely staggered.

It retaliated with a swipe of its massive claw, leaving deep gouges in Aegis's surface.

Its immense strength was a shock to Kain and the others, there was still a little less than 10 minutes left in the active time of the debuff, and yet it was proving far stronger than any of the blue-grade spiritual creatures they'd previously faced, although it was technically weakened.

This thing was probably the closest Kain had ever come to an indigo-grade spiritual creature.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Serena's Starweaver loosed a barrage of arrows, each one aimed with precision. The bolts struck the creature's exposed joints, but the abomination seemed almost impervious, shrugging off the attacks like they were insect bites.

Lina's Shadow Veil moth unleashed thick dark mist. The researchers cried out in alarm as their vision was obscured and they were unable to continue their activities, but the summoned creature was undeterred. It moved with uncanny accuracy, its many heads swivelling to track its prey as if its vision was completely unaffected.

When its numerous cold eyes locked precisely onto him, a shiver went down Kain's spine. Thankfully, by this point the controlled guards had arrived, and he immediately had them stream into the room to target the researchers and serve as meat shields.

With creature's focus no longer on him, Kain felt as though he could breathe again, and immediately ordered his contracts to focus on killing every researcher present. As long as the people responsible for the horrible research that went on here weren't alive, then it'd be a horrible blow to the organization. They'd lose much of the knowledge accumulated here, as well as the brains capable of performing future experiments.

However, the chaos of the laboratory made them challenging to target, since whatever they summoned also seemed to be protecting them, tearing through the controlled guards with brutal efficiency. Each swipe of its mismatched limbs sent bodies flying, the sound of snapping bones and tearing flesh reverberating through the room.

The wiry man with the rings cursed under his breath as a Vespid guard lunged toward him, its stinger aimed for his throat. He ducked just in time, activating a defensive artifact on one of his wrists. A translucent barrier flared to life around him, deflecting the attack.

"You want these notes?!" he screamed, holding up a bundle of parchment. "I'll burn them all! Years of research—gone forever unless you let me leave!" Experience more on empire

Kain wasn't sure if the man had delusions of grandeur to think anybody would obviously want his research notes—very few people probably would. But it just so happened that Kain was one of them… However, although he did want any and all notes here to better help Gabriel, that didn't mean that he'd ever consider letting this guy go.

"Try it," Kain growled, his voice cold. He directed Bea's threads toward the man, and before he could react, a split darted past his mental defences, latching onto his mind. The man froze, his hand trembling as he clutched the papers.

"Good choice," Kain muttered, forcing the man to drop the notes and having Bea rifle through his memories. Once he was sure that there was no. more information to obtain from his mind, he had Bea kill him quickly.

Meanwhile, the stout woman who had been ruthlessly destroying test materials and subjects abandoned her work. Blood still dripped from the blade in her hand as she stepped forward, her face twisted in anger and desperation.

"You think you can do this without repercussions?" she snarled, brandishing the knife. "Do you have any idea who we work for? If you kill us, you'll be hunted down like dogs!"

'Wow…such a cliché statement' Kain thought, not the least bit intimidated. Although Lina beside him started to shake like a leaf.

Serena's Starweaver sent a single arrow composed of starlight whizzing past her face, embedding itself in the wall behind her. "Spare me the threats," Serena said icily. "You're not leaving this room alive."

The woman hesitated, then lunged at Serena in a last-ditch effort. Serena sidestepped with fluid grace, and her Elemental Guardian, now in its fire form, incinerated the woman before she could get close.

The remaining three researchers abandoned their attempts at bravado, their faces pale with terror.