The dark-red glow around Dr. Kallen's staff surged violently. Two streams of dense black energy shot from the tip, tearing through the air straight toward Ryan. At the same time, the two Ultimate Modified Forms stepped forward, their massive bodies shaking the ground. Mechanical joints screeched as they moved, red electronic eyes locking onto their target like hunting beasts, closing in from both sides.
The air deep inside the laboratory was completely saturated with dark magic, heavy and suffocating.
Ryan's pupils shrank.
He retreated sharply, yanking out the magic disruptor and slamming the activation switch. Pale-blue energy waves spread outward. The speed of the dark energy beams visibly slowed, and the Ultimate Modified Forms hesitated for a brief instant.
"Now!"
Ryan seized the fleeting opening and turned, sprinting straight toward the rune-covered metal door. The soul fluctuation behind it was weakening rapidly—Mr. Linton was running out of time. He couldn't afford to be dragged into a fight here.
"Trying to escape?" Dr. Kallen roared."Not a chance!"
The strange symbol bracelet on his wrist resonated with the staff, dark-red light blazing even brighter.
"Ultimate units—ignore interference. Tear him apart!"
The electronic eyes of the two monsters flashed crimson. Dark magic exploded from their bodies as they forcibly broke through the disruptor's influence. Heavy footsteps thundered behind Ryan like war drums, the ground trembling with each step.
Ryan caught sight of the looming shadows in his peripheral vision. His heart hammered wildly as he ran, activating the Eye of Truth to scan the door's rune core—the circular indentation in the handle.
Closer.Closer.
The human soul behind the door pulsed clearly now.
Mr. Linton.
Just as a mechanical arm reached for his back, Ryan slid sideways at the last second, skidding to a stop in front of the door. In one smooth motion, he flung the magic disruptor backward.
The device reactivated mid-air.
Blue energy surged again.
It didn't stop the Ultimate Modified Forms—but it delayed them for half a second.
That half-second was everything.
Ryan slammed his palm into the circular rune socket.
Through the Eye of Truth, the energy pathways lit up clearly. He focused hard, guiding the faint magic within his body into the rune core, following the patterns he had already analyzed.
Humm—
The metal door vibrated softly. The black runes dimmed as their energy flow destabilized.
Click.
The door cracked open.
A wave of dark, binding magic rushed out. Ryan shoved his way inside and slammed the door shut behind him. Heavy impacts immediately followed from the other side—bang, bang, bang—the door shaking violently but holding for now.
Ryan leaned against it, gasping for breath.
When he looked up, his chest tightened.
In the center of the room, lying atop an experimental platform, was an elderly man with gray hair—Mr. Linton. Thick black magical chains wrapped tightly around his body, runes carved along their length, pumping dark energy into him without pause.
His eyes were shut. His face was deathly pale. His breathing was barely there.
"Mr. Linton…"
Ryan rushed over and crouched beside the platform. Through the Eye of Truth, he quickly identified the source—four energy nodes embedded at the corners of the table.
"If I break those, the chains will release," he murmured.
"Hang on. I'll get you out."
He moved to the first node—a dark-red crystal pulsing faintly—and drove his short blade into it.
Crack.
The crystal shattered. One chain dulled and slackened. Mr. Linton's breathing eased slightly.
"It works!"
Ryan turned toward the second node—
And froze.
Dr. Kallen's voice echoed from the ceiling, dripping with malice.
"Little detective… did you really think finding Linton meant you could save him?"
Ryan looked up sharply.
Black runes ignited across the walls, countless symbols forming a massive magic array. Dark-red light surged outward, forming a transparent barrier that sealed the entire room.
"A magical prison…"Ryan's face drained of color.
He rushed to the door and pushed—nothing. The Eye of Truth revealed overwhelming energy density. This wasn't something brute force could break.
"Correct," Kallen said smugly."This room was never meant to stop you. It was built to lure you in."
The pounding outside ceased.
"Ultimate units, withdraw. Let him savor his final moments."
Ryan slashed at the window—only faint ripples spread across the barrier.
"Kallen! What do you want?!" he shouted.
"What do I want?" Kallen laughed softly."To experiment."
"Linton's compatibility may be high—but he's old. Limited potential. You, however… a normal man capable of bonding with a shadow contract system and deciphering runes this quickly?"
"You're the perfect material."
Ryan's heart sank.
"You'll help complete my King of the Modified project ahead of schedule. Once you're transformed, the Balance Council will be nothing but insects beneath my feet."
Ryan clenched his fists.
"You're insane! Using living people like this—"
"In the face of absolute power, morality is meaningless!"
The voice cut off.
Silence fell.
The prison's red glow intensified. Ryan felt his strength draining, his magic eroded bit by bit. Even the system interface refused to respond.
He looked at Mr. Linton, still bound, guilt crushing his chest.
Then—
Zzzzt.
The machinery activated on its own.
The chains flared red again. Black magic surged harder into Mr. Linton's body. In the corner, a metal container opened. Mechanical arms extended outward, needles gleaming, coated in black fluid.
Ryan's face turned pale.
The experiment had begun.
He tried to step back.
His legs wouldn't move.
The needles drew closer.
For the first time, despair crept into his heart.
Was this it?
Just as the needles were about to pierce his skin—
BOOM!
An explosion rocked the facility. A hoarse wolf's howl echoed, followed by Kallen's furious roar. The prison barrier flickered, dimming briefly.
Ryan's eyes lit up.
Ella.
But the relief lasted only a moment.
Alarms screamed.
Kallen's voice returned, furious and unhinged.
"Then we begin early! Even if you die—you'll serve my research!"
The barrier flared again.
This time, black fog seeped through the prison walls, slowly rolling toward Ryan—
And the real nightmare began.