Vol3 Arc2: The Red Ruin.
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Alister’s golden irises glead as he responded through the telepathic link.
’Draven, follow the humans and investigate the dungeon. Gather as much information as possible, but do not engage unless absolutely necessary.’
’Understood, my Lord.’
Alister then turned his attention to the others.
’The rest of you, remain on standby. If anything erges from these portals, cut it down imdiately.’
’Yes, my Lord,’ the dragons answered.
The link faded, and Alister exhaled. Just as he turned back toward Axel and Anzo, a sudden chi echoed through the hallway. The sharp, unmistakable sound of an alert ssage.
Anzo imdiately perked up.
"Finally! So action!" He cracked his knuckles, eyes brimming with excitent.
Alister glanced at the notification that appeared on the holographic interface of his communication device.
[Ergency Notice: A portal has been located. Mobilization required.]
[Issued by: Vice guild master Aiko]
Axel whistled lowly. "Lady Aiko herself? That ans this is serious."
Anzo smirked. "Doesn’t matter. We just got the green light to move, right?" He was practically bouncing on his feet.
Alister shot him a sharp look. "I know you are itching for so action, but you better don’t go dieing on . My orders are absolute. If I say run, you run." His tone was calm, but the weight behind his words made it clear—there was no room for reckless excitent.
Anzo huffed but nodded. "Yeah, yeah. I get it. Strategy first, fun later."
Before they could discuss further, the door behind them creaked open.
Lila stepped out.
Now fully dressed in a fresh uniform, with a look os lingering embarrassnt on her face.
She had adjusted her clothing properly, but her cheeks still has a faint flush from earlier.
Her green eyes darted toward the group, and upon seeing them all focused on her, she hesitated.
Blitz grinned. "Well, well, looking more like a proper guild mber now, huh?"
Lila fidgeted slightly, but she held her head high.
"I… I feel different," she admitted. Her ears, still slightly pointy, twitched. "It’s strange, but I feel… stronger?"
Alister gave a slight nod. "Good. You’ll need that strength."
Lila’s eyes widened slightly at the implication, but she nodded firmly. "I’m ready."
Axel clapped his hands together. "Alright then, what’s the plan? Where are we headed first?"
Alister turned back toward the hallway, his gaze distant as he pulled up the mission details.
"First, we regroup with the others. Then, we move according to Lady Aiko’s orders. If a portal has been located, that ans we need to deal with it before whatever is behind them spills into our world."
Lila swallowed, but her grip tightened. She wasn’t going to hesitate—not this ti.
Alister turned as he said. "Let’s move."
Without another word, the group strode down the hall. The battle hadn’t started yet, but they could all feel it—sothing was coming.
And they would be ready.
----
Sector I’s 3rd Ring
The rhythmic whir of helicopter blades filled the air as the news chopper hovered above the cityscape of Sector I’s 3rd Ring.
The cara feed displayed a haunting sight—a massive, swirling red portal pulsating ominously beside an industrial district. Crimson energy crackled violently around its edges, distorting the air like a heatwave.
Inside the chopper, the lead reporter, a sharp-dressed woman with blond hair, gripped her mic.
"This is Lana Voss reporting live from Sector I’s 3rd Ring, where yet another red portal has manifested," she announced. "This marks the fifth occurrence this week, and according to the latest data acquired from the Union, these portals have consistently ranked at SSS-class. And it is said that all who have entered these dungeons in the past have never returned. Even stranger is that these portals often sotis disappear after claiming the lives of its victims."
The cara zood in on the portal’s fluctuating mass, then panned downward, where armored Union city enforcers had already ford a periter.
Their weapons were raised, but there was this sense of unease in their stance—none of them dared to move closer than necessary.
Lana continued, "Due to the extre threat level of these portals, regular raid teams have been deed unfit to engage. The Union has confird that only the team leaders of the major guilds usually possessing S ranked talents are equipped to handle such dangers. However, with the increasing frequency of these occurrences, those leaders are being stretched dangerously thin."
A second voice ca through, the chopper’s co-pilot.
"Lana, we’re getting reports that no guild team has responded yet. The city enforcers are just holding position."
Lana’s expression hardened. She turned back to the cara. "This ans that for now, Sector I’s 3rd Ring is completely exposed. If sothing erges from that portal before a guild leader arrives, there’s no telling how much damage it could cause."
Suddenly, static cut through their radio. A transmission broke through—a voice from the city’s ergency network.
"Any available high-rank guild tram leaders, report imdiately. We have a confird SSS-class threat in the 3rd Ring. Civilian evacuation is in progress, but resistance forces are limited. Repeat, any high-rank operatives, report now."
A tense silence settled in the helicopter.
Lana exhaled. "There you have it, everyone. The city is calling for its strongest, but will they make it in ti?"
The cara lingered on the portal’s nacing glow as the tension in the air thickened. The people of Sector I could only wait—and hope.
The red portal pulsed violently, its swirling mass growing more erratic. Suddenly, a dense red mist began to seep out, flowing like a creeping tide onto the cracked pavent of the industrial district.
"Hold position!" one of the city enforcers barked through his helt’s communicator. But despite his command, the officers instinctively stepped back, their weapons raised.
The mist slithered along the ground, curling around streetlights and abandoned vehicles. It clung to the air like thick smoke, making it hard to see beyond a few ters.
"Is it toxic?" one officer asked, adjusting his visor’s filter.
"No readings on known hazardous gases," another replied, glancing at his scanner. "But I don’t like this—"
A sudden, wet gurgling noise echoed from within the portal. The mist churned, thickening. Then, sothing stepped through.
A figure.
No—figures.
At first, they looked human. But as they moved into the dim light of the industrial lamps, their grotesque features beca sickeningly clear.
Their skin was mottled with dark veins, pulsing unnaturally beneath torn clothing. Their limbs were elongated in unnatural ways—joints bent the wrong direction, fingers stretched into claws. Their eyes, once human, now burned with an eerie crimson glow, devoid of reason or recognition.
One of them—what was once a man—tilted its head, its jaw unhinging wider than it should have. It let out a guttural, distorted shriek.
The officers flinched.
More of them stepped through. Dozens. Their grotesque forms staggered, twitched, then moved in sudden, unnatural bursts—like puppets with tangled strings.
"Dear god..." one officer whispered, gripping his rifle tighter.
"Fall back!" the squad leader ordered. "We need a guild team here now!"
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