Lord Of Beasts

Ethan tapped on the System Interface without hesitation.

{100 Evolutionary Shards have been expended to evolve Storm to D Rank.}

Another tap.

{1000 Evolutionary Shards have been expended to evolve Storm to C Rank.}

Another.

{10000 Evolutionary Shards have been expended to evolve Storm to B Rank.}

Ethan couldn’t help but think back to how long it had taken Wolfy to reach D Rank. All those life-and-death battles while being barely stronger than an untitled. It had definitely been tough.

Yet now, in an instant, he’d taken one of his beasts from E Rank all the way to B Rank.

The difference felt unreal.

Though nothing happened, almost as though the System itself was processing what he had just done.

That when...

Sheen!

A blinding pillar of blue-white light erupted around the choking Infant Lightning Dragonfly. Power exploded outward. It surged through Ethan first, racing through every mana channel in his body before pouring into the creature beyond.

His left forearm burned, almost as if the now-absent tattoo was acting as a conduit for the sudden wave of mana.

Ethan staggered backwards.

”Whoa.”

Electricity crackled across his skin, with tiny bolts leaping between his fingertips.

And that’s when the evolution began... violently.

Sharp cracking noises echoed through the room as Storm’s soft body rapidly hardened. Its flesh compressed and its frame elongated, all while a glossy exoskeleton rapidly formed over its entire body.

The pitiful larva that couldn’t even breathe outside water was transforming before their eyes.

Its presence rose exponentially.

Every second, it became stronger and more complete.

Then came the wings.

Four razor-thin translucent wings suddenly burst through the newly formed armour. They unfolded with incredible elegance before beginning to vibrate.

Dragonflies couldn’t scream, and they lacked vocal cords entirely. Yet somehow, Ethan could almost feel Storm crying out as its entire existence transformed through their bond. The high-pitched whir of its wings filled the basement.

Crack!

Blue-white lightning erupted from its body.

A bolt slammed into the ceiling.

Another shot through the floor.

Then another.

The electricity multiplied uncontrollably.

Blink!

Elara appeared in front of Mark, shielding the giant man and herself with a Crimson Mana Construct. At the same time, Ethan backed away and assimilated with Wolfy again to increase his durability in case he was struck.

Storm hovered only a metre above the ground, yet it suddenly became the centre of a literal electrical storm.

”Storm!”

Ethan shouted, trying to stop whatever was about to happen by unsummoning it, but it was too late. The system restricted his ability to withdraw the summon, leaving him with no choice but to watch its evolution in its entirety.

And it was only going to get crazier...

BOOOOOOM!!!

An enormous pulse of electric mana exploded outward.

It was such a giant wave that it spread miles in every direction, sweeping over everyone and everything. People felt something pass through them, and a static shock, while every light in the city flickered.

Then there was even darkness.

The entire city of New York lost power: traffic lights died, street lamps went dark, and televisions shut off. Not to mention medical equipment keeping patients alive, thankfully, hospitals had back-up generators.

It was utter chaos, and the cause was the insect beast in the basement, which glowed with crackling blue electricity.

Ethan and Elara stared in stunned silence.

”...”

”...”

Without hesitation, Ethan dismissed the beast once the evolution was complete. The dragonfly vanished instantly back into his Beast Space, the tattoo returning to his left forearm with newfound power.

There was a moment of silence.

”Oops...”

Ethan already knew there was absolutely no hiding what had just happened. Meanwhile, Mark was at a loss for words after what he had just witnessed. Elara was equally baffled and still had no idea how her blue-eyed counterpart’s abilities worked.

They had both just seen Ethan tap the air in front of him, and then his summoned beast transformed into a frightening creature.

It made no sense.

But they already knew Ethan wasn’t the type to explain, and the fact that he had shown them alone was enough to show that he trusted them. They were the people he depended on the most, so he didn’t mind them seeing his abilities.

Though what was supposed to be a private display of his new beast had turned into something the entire city felt...

-

Inside the Association Headquarters, an alarm suddenly rang throughout Harold’s office. The veteran Association Head calmly looked toward the large tactical display where a city-wide electrical anomaly had just been detected.

His eyes narrowed.

”An EMP of mana was the source of the momentary city-wide blackout.”

The system immediately traced the point of origin to a small bar in Brooklyn called the Black Howl.

”What?”

It made no sense to Harold until he received a secondary report informing him of who spent most of their time there. That troublesome bar happened to be where a certain newly promoted B Rank and a certain Blood Demon lived.

They had black suits stationed there to help deal with the stalkers and reporters, but they had no way of suppressing or predicting what had just happened.

His eye twitched.

”Those two... again!”

They had only just removed their Association smartwatches; now they’d somehow caused a partial blackout. He wasn’t sure whether to be impressed or angry, but he was definitely tired of having to deal with the mess of Titled.

He sighed.

”Handle it,” was the simple order he gave to the black suits.

And let’s just say the way they went about doing so wasn’t exactly the smartest...

-

Elsewhere, Kaela leaned casually against her motorcycle outside what seemed to be an abandoned warehouse, a cold drink in one hand. The instant the wave of mana spread across the city...

She froze.

Then a grin slowly spread across her face after she recognised that aura immediately. It was impossible to mistake the mana of the beast that nearly claimed her life and gave her such a riveting battle.

And despite nearly dying, she couldn’t stop herself from laughing.

”I knew that fucker captured it.”

She had no idea how it worked, but she would be a fool not to put two and two together after Ethan stole her kill. But she also didn’t mind at all, and if anything, was already eyeing a rematch with the Lightning Dragonfly...