Sothing changed the mont the tune drifted through the air. The Butcher’s movents started to slow down once more.
Violin in hand, the Conductor’s tune began to drift through the air.
Almost imdiately, Osvald felt a sense of relief in his nodes as he found himself finally able to breathe again. Despite this, he knew that he couldn’t relax. Taking several steps back, he maintained his focus as the nurous eyes that surrounded the entire room blinked in unison, a raw and wet sound spreading with each blink.
"Haa... Haa..."
Osvald’s breath remained heavy as he stared at the Butcher, who had stopped moving completely. Alongside the Conductor’s music and his actions, he could feel the Butcher struggling against sothing.
Adding to that, there was also a soft giggling sound that echoed through the air.
’It’s working. It’s working...’
Osvald felt a small rush in his mind as he looked at the Team Leader, whose face had gone completely pale. It was clear that taking control of such an anomaly was straining his nodes, but with both of them combining their efforts, they managed to fully restrain the Butcher and stop it from doing anything further.
Looking at the situation, for just a brief mont, Osvald’s eyes flashed with greed as he stared at the Butcher. With it restrained, could they kill it? Could they...?
’No, that’s too risky. I just need to wait. The situation is under control. There’s no point in taking any more risks.’
Osvald pushed all thoughts aside and focused on the Butcher ahead. Lifting his head slightly, his gaze drifted toward the fine cracks forming in the fabric of space.
’The gate is starting to destabilise. It won’t be long until it shatters completely and we’ll be free. In fact... the people on the outside should’ve already felt sothing. This is good.’
Osvald didn’t waste a single second. He reached for his pocket, taking out a communicator and sending a quick ssage. With the crack in the Gate, he was certain that his ssage would go through, and sure enough...
Click!
The mont he sent it, the ssage went through.
His eyes lit up as he shifted his attention back to the Butcher. Now that he had sent the ssage, he felt a lot more relaxed. The mont the dungeon broke, he was certain...
This Butcher...
He was done for.
***
It was as Osvald predicted.
From the mont cracks had begun to form around the Gate, the entire island of Malia felt it.
Rumble! Rumble!
"What’s going on?"
"What is happening? I’m getting a terrifying reading from a distance. What the hell is happening?"
One by one, people began to step out of their rooms. Everyone’s attention turned in the sa direction as a terrifying power started to rise from there. It was enough to make the hair on their skin crawl.
"Everyone, please head downstairs! Please move downstairs!"
It wasn’t until a certain voice bood across that everyone moved, heading downstairs where several Section Chiefs were waiting, their expressions incredibly solemn as they stared in the direction of the energy.
"Is everyone here?"
Velrik stood before everyone, his tall fra towering over the rest as his usually well-trimd beard appeared a little unkempt, likely from the suddenness of the situation. He wore an unusually serious expression as his gaze swept the surroundings.
"I’m sorry for calling you all here so suddenly, but I’m sure everyone understands why, right?" His gaze shifted toward the source of the energy before returning to the group. "I’ve already contacted the BUA, but given the urgency, we’ve got no choice but to move now. Our main priority is figuring out what’s causing the pressure and evacuating the surrounding area while backup arrives. We are strictly not to engage with whatever is happening until we know what’s going on."
He said a few more words before dismissing everyone, each mber moving toward their respective Section Chief.
’He’s not here.’
As Zoey reached the Section Chief and Team Leader Soran, her eyes scanned the surroundings for Seth, but he was nowhere in sight.
’Where did he go?’
Eventually, her attention fell on her sister Catherine. She stood attentively before the Section Chief and the Team Leader. And as if feeling her gaze, Catherine slowly turned her head to et her eyes and smiled softly.
"What’s wrong, Zoey?"
"...I’m just wondering where Seth is. Have you seen him?"
"Seth...?"
Catherine’s expression changed subtly. It wasn’t obvious, and the change occurred for just a split second, but it was enough for Zoey to notice as her brow raised.
’I’m not imagining things, right? But why is it that every ti Seth’s na gets ntioned, her face...’
A thought surfaced in Zoey’s mind as her expression shifted subtly. However, looking at her sister, she quickly shook her head.
No, I’m overthinking.
"I’m not sure, to be honest. I haven’t seen him either."
"So he’s gone."
Zoey’s lips pressed together. This was a bit suspicious. How had he suddenly disappeared, and then a situation like this occurred? Was it a coincidence? Zoey wasn’t too sure, but she kept the thought at the back of her mind as the Section Chief also seed to have noticed Seth’s disappearance.
"Where is Seth? Did sothing happen? Is he still in his room? Can soone check for ?"
"There’s no need for that."
Surprisingly, it was the Team Leader who spoke up.
She retrieved her phone and showed it to the Section Chief.
"He sent a ssage earlier. Apparently, he went out with a mber of the Cloud Reverence Guild and a Team Leader. From what I’ve gathered, they were investigating a certain lead, and..." The Team Leader paused, shifting her attention toward the source of the energy before looking back at the Section Chief. "I believe this might be related to what they found."
"Agh."
The Section Chief ruffled his hair, his gaze fixed on Soran’s phone as he muttered, "I should’ve expected this... of course it’s related to him. That guy... he’s just as talented at stirring shit as he is at cleaning it up."
What does that even an?
Zoey wondered as the Section Chief cursed a few more tis.
But eventually, he nodded and turned toward the group, beckoning them to follow.
"Let’s go. If the situation is truly related to Seth, then we have to hurry before things get worse."
He moved at once, the others falling in close behind, boots striking the pavent in hurried rhythm. The sa was true for the other teams as they poured into the streets, cutting through the night under the flickering lamplight.
The air grew heavier the closer they got, that invisible pressure pressing against their skin and minds. They didn’t have to walk far before they found themselves standing before a large building that lood ahead, its dark silhouette pulsing faintly with that unsettling energy.
Coming to a complete stop, Velrik’s expression remained tense as he stared at the building. The sa was true for the other Section Chiefs, each eyeing the structure with deep apprehension. Now that they stood this close, they could feel just how terrifying the energy within was.
A suffocating pressure that seed to seep into their very bones.
"...This is pushing rank."
Soone muttered, their voice hoarse, retrieving a small flashlight and pointing it at the building.
"Approaching rank, it’s⎯"
Their voices cut off halfway, along with every other sound, as the faces of everyone present shifted in an instant, the mont the light fell on the building. Fine, distorted cracks began to spread across its surface, twisting it unnaturally as if sothing beneath was pressing outward.
A faint, almost inaudible creaking followed, the air growing heavier with each passing second as the fractures deepened.
Staring at the distant building, Velrik reached for his phone and brought it to his ear.
"Bring out more people. This situation... It’s worse than I expected."
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