Beast Hack: Customizing Beasts and Capturing Beauties-Chapter 328: Welcome to Phase Two

The fog trembled.

Then it broke.

Two Velgrith lunged forward, their bodies coated in icy mist, slicing through the cold veil like missiles.

Behind them, four Silphra darted in from the flanks, claws extended, fangs bared.

Marek pointed. "Incoming!"

Kanos's voice was sharp. "Orlen—engage!"

Orlen stepped forward with no hesitation.

His body pulsed with silver light as his defense was strengthening.

A thick layer of swirling mist coiled around him, hardening into mist-forged armor.

"Bring it," he growled.

One of the Silphra dove straight at him—fast.

Orlen didn't flinch.

He shifted his stance, raised one tonfa, and smashed the side of the beast's face mid-charge.

The Silphra hit the ground hard but rolled upright.

Orlen didn't let it get back up. He lunged, mist shielding surging around him.

He stomped the ground, making it uneven. Silphra had trouble moving thanks to it.

"I'll keep 'em focused on me!" Orlen shouted.

Meanwhile, Jenavira's form blurred—already gone from the group's line.

She had fused fully with Duskhound.

"I've got the flankers."

She reappeared behind one of the Silphra, silent, precise.

Shunk—Shunk!

Two daggers plunged into the beast's spine, striking it down before it could even cry out.

"Target down."

She said quietly into comms, already vanishing back into the mist.

Another Silphra turned toward the commotion.

Too slow.

Jenavira's voice: "Marking second."

The second Silphra didn't even get to react before it dropped.

Meanwhile, Kanos whipped his sword wide, the segments unraveling into a long serpent of steel.

"Eyes forward!" he snapped.

"Tracking Velgrith!"

The Velgrith launched an ice beam toward Marek.

Kanos struck first.

CRACK!

His whip blade lashed across the Velgrith's flank.

It's not enough to kill, but it got marked.

"One marked!" Kanos shouted.

"If it disappears again, I'll still see it."

The Velgrith tried to phase back into the fog. Not good.

Kanos's blade struck again, hard, severing one leg.

"You're not getting away."

The second Velgrith lunged toward Orlen.

Orlen blocked with his tonfas, gritting his teeth. "Armor's holding!"

The beast's claws scraped but couldn't pierce the mist-forged plating.

Dario called out, "We've got two Silphra left!"

Jenavira's voice chimed back. "One is circling toward Colan."

Colan spun. "On it!"

Kanos lashed his whip toward the last unmarked Silphra. "Marking now—don't touch!"

Slash! The blade caught its leg, and the mist seal locked on.

"Done. Someone clean it."

Alaric charged from the rear with a swift leap, driving his spear through the beast's core.

"Cleaned."

Kanos's voice came through clear. "Final Velgrith—tracked."

He lunged, blade wrapping around the beast's neck before snapping it off.

It fell limp seconds later.

Orlen exhaled and lowered his arms. "All down."

Jenavira reappeared beside Kanos. "That's six."

Kanos glanced around the quiet mist, then turned toward the group.

"Status?"

Marek: "No injuries."

Elliane: "No contact on radar."

Thalia: "No trails left behind."

Kanos finally relaxed his stance and coiled his whip sword. "Then we keep moving."

Jenavira wiped her blades clean. "If this is just the start, I want to see what he left deeper in."

Dario grinned, spinning his knife once. "Just hope that Lord L doesn't disappoint."

The moment the words left his mouth, the mist pulsed.

Then it thickened, fast.

Visibility dropped instantly.

And before anyone could speak, three massive cave entrances began forming from the fog itself.

The mist swirled and hardened into shape like they were being carved by invisible hands.

One to the left.

One in the center.

One to the right.

Each glowed faintly from within, impossible to see inside.

Jenavira looked sideways at Dario, eyes narrowed.

"Well. It seems Lord L didn't disappoint after all."

Dario let out a weak chuckle. "Yeah. I take it back."

Kanos took a step forward, eyeing the three entrances carefully.

"Three caves… appearing the second we clear out that beast pack?"

He turned to the others.

"And just so happens… we have three squads here."

Jenavira crossed her arms. "A test. One for each team."

Colan adjusted his grip on his staff. "Or a trap."

Marek checked his radar. "I'm not getting anything from inside. It's like… the caves don't exist until we enter."

Thalia floated her chakrams in a slow circle. "No readings. Not even terrain feedback."

Kanos nodded slowly. "Interesting..."

Alaric stepped up beside him. "So what's the call? Do we go in?"

Kanos looked at Jenavira. "Shadow Marshal... your take?"

Jenavira studied the central cave for a moment.

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"He's watching us. That much is obvious. If we turn back now, we won't get anything."

She looked at her team. "We'll take the middle."

Kanos smirked. "Then Night Shade will take the right."

Dario glanced at Alaric and Colan. "Guess that leaves us the left."

Alaric rolled his neck. "Fine. We'll finish faster anyway."

Kanos turned to all of them.

"Keep comms open. The moment anything goes wrong, report it."

Dario raised his eyebrow.

"But aren't the three of us going in at the same time?"

Kanos glanced at him. "Physically, yes. But inside?"

He pointed at the caves. "You really think Lord L plays fair?"

Marek added, "For all we know, each cave is a self-contained trial. Different space. Different rules."

Thalia narrowed her eyes at the swirling mist around the entrance.

"The structure isn't even stable. I'm watching the layers of fog shift like it's alive."

Jenavira stepped forward, blades sheathed but ready.

"He wants to isolate us. See what each squad does when forced to act without backup."

Dario folded his arms. "So we're not just getting tested—we're being evaluated."

Kanos nodded. "Exactly. This isn't just a path forward. It's a filter."

Sirelia glanced between the teams. "So we go in blind, no map, no terrain layout, and no idea what's inside."

Kanos smirked. "Which means it's just another night op for us."

Dario stretched his shoulders. "Let's just hope it's a short one."

Jenavira gave one final glance toward the others. "No hesitation. In and out."

Kanos pointed to the comm devices linked across their gear.

"Stay linked. If the signal drops—do not panic. Trust your beast. Trust your team."

Alaric stepped toward the left cave entrance. "Let's get this over with."

Dario grinned. "Race you to the end."

Kanos cracked his knuckles. "Don't fall behind."

And with that, the three squads moved toward their respective caves.