Transmigrated as the Villainess Princess-Chapter 52: The Forest (4)

Ahcehera darted through the forest, her enhanced boots propelling her faster than the corrupted beasts chasing her. She leaped over roots, ducked under low-hanging branches, and weaved through the dense underbrush. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

But just as she thought she was gaining ground, an ominous energy surged in the air behind her. A portal crackled to life, swirling with black and purple energy. Before she could change her trajectory, its gravitational pull locked onto her.

"No!" she shouted, digging her heels into the ground and activating her boots’ resistance mode.

But the pull was too strong. Her feet slid against the dirt, and her mental power couldn’t anchor her fast enough. With a final, desperate attempt to grab onto a nearby tree, she was sucked into the vortex, disappearing from sight.

Back at the hut, Rohzivaan paced anxiously. The sun was dipping below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of orange and red, but Ahcehera still hadn’t returned.

"This isn’t like her," he muttered, his fists clenching. He activated his comm device and tried contacting her. "Ahcehera, do you copy? Where are you?"

Only static replied.

Something’s wrong.

Rohzivaan opened the portable map Ahcehera had shared with him earlier. It displayed her marked path, the zones she scouted, and her last recorded location. His eyes narrowed when he noticed something unsettling.

The map showed her near a zone with high concentrations of dark energy, the same area he had felt uneasy about earlier. A glowing red marker indicated the location of a core, pulsing ominously on the screen.

"Damn it," Rohzivaan cursed under his breath. He knew she wouldn’t have gone there voluntarily unless something forced her hand.

He couldn’t wait any longer. Grabbing his weapons, he activated the security locks on their hut and ensured the surveillance systems were running at full capacity. The bots scattered to patrol the perimeter as he sprinted out, heading toward Ahcehera’s last known location.

The forest grew darker the closer Rohzivaan got to the core’s location. The trees were twisted and blackened, their branches contorted like claws reaching for the sky. The air was suffused with a heavy, oppressive energy that pressed against his chest with every step.

He kept his rifle ready, his eyes scanning the area for any signs of Ahcehera or danger. As he approached the coordinates, he saw the ground beneath him transform. The earth was cracked, glowing faintly with veins of red energy that pulsed like a heartbeat. In the distance, a dim, unnatural light glowed, marking the location of the core.

"She was here," Rohzivaan muttered to himself.

He crouched, examining the tracks on the ground. Footprints, hastily made. Broken branches. Disturbed soil. She had been running, likely from something.

But where did she go?

His comm device crackled, briefly picking up residual energy signatures. He paused, his heart pounding. "Ahcehera?"

Nothing but static again.

Then, in the faint light of the corrupted forest, he saw it, a tear in the air, barely visible, surrounded by the same dark energy he had seen on the beasts earlier.

A portal.

Rohzivaan’s grip on his rifle tightened. He didn’t hesitate. If that’s where she went, then that’s where I’m going. He stepped closer to the portal, feeling its pull begin to grip him.

I need my mecha.

With a deep breath, he activated his mecha’s energy shield, took one last glance back in the direction of their home, and let the portal take him.

Inside the portal, Rohzivaan felt like he was falling through darkness. Strange whispers filled his ears, unintelligible but haunting. The energy around him felt alive, pressing against his shield, testing its strength. When he finally landed, he found himself in a desolate, otherworldly landscape. The sky was a swirling void of dark clouds and violet lightning.

I should keep my mecha inside.

Jagged rocks jutted out from the ground, glowing faintly with the same malevolent energy as the core. And there, in the distance, he saw her.

Ahcehera was on her knees, surrounded by a ring of corrupted beasts. She held her rifle tightly, her body battered but still defiant.

"Ahcehera!" Rohzivaan shouted, sprinting toward her.

Her head snapped toward him, her eyes wide with surprise. "Rohzivaan? What are you doing here?"

"Saving you," he said firmly, positioning himself between her and the nearest beast. The pack growled, their red-veined fur bristling as they closed in.

"We’re not getting out of here unless we fight," Ahcehera said, standing and readying her weapon.

Rohzivaan nodded, a determined gleam in his mismatched eyes. "Then let’s show them what we’re made of."

The beast lunged, and the battle began. Ahcehera and Rohzivaan fought fiercely, their movements perfectly synchronized as they took on the relentless wave of corrupted beasts.

Ahcehera’s rifle fired precise shots, each bullet finding its mark, while Rohzivaan’s blade cut through the air with deadly efficiency. They moved like a single entity, their bond unspoken but unbreakable.

As the last of the beasts fell, Ahcehera exhaled sharply, scanning the area for any remaining threats. "Is that all of them?"

Before Rohzivaan could respond, the air shifted. A sinister energy crackled around them, sending chills down their spines. Without warning, thick, black chains wreathed in dark energy materialized out of thin air. They shot toward Ahcehera, coiling around her wrists and ankles with unnatural precision.

"Ahcehera!" Rohzivaan shouted, lunging forward.

But the chains were too fast. They pulled her upward, suspending her in the air like a marionette. The dark energy coursing through them shimmered ominously, sending faint sparks of electricity crackling along their lengths.

"Rohzivaan!" Ahcehera struggled, her mental power flaring, but the chains absorbed her energy like a black hole, leaving her drained and immobile.

Rohzivaan growled, his eyes glowing with fury. Before he could act, the ground beneath him erupted, and a cage of blackened steel burst forth, encasing him. The bars hummed with dark energy, pulsating with malicious intent.

"Let her go!" he roared, slamming against the bars with his fists.

The cage retaliated instantly. A surge of electricity shot through the chains binding Ahcehera, forcing a sharp gasp of pain from her lips.

"Stop struggling," she whispered, her voice strained but resolute. "You’ll only make it worse."

Rohzivaan froze, his fists still clenched against the bars. His breath came in ragged pants, his mind racing. He wanted to rip the cage apart, to tear down the chains, but he couldn’t bear to see her in pain. Suddenly, the oppressive energy in the air coalesced into a single point.