Chapter 296: The Aftermath (2)

Chapter 296He turned back to the portal. "Just looking at this thing gives me chills... like if I step through, I’ll die for sure."

But there was no fear in his voice — none at all. His posture was calm, his tone almost amused. He tilted his head, that same half-mad smile on his face.

"But wouldn’t that make it more fun?" Jay asked. "Come on — let’s enter the death zone and take care of whatever’s inside ourselves. If it wants us dead, we’ll just have to disappoint it."

Han stared at him for a long moment.

Yeah... Jay was crazy. Absolutely insane.

But he was also strong... and deep down, Han knew the man wasn’t bad.

"Okay.... I’ll go first." Jay didn’t hesitate. He stepped through the portal wearing that same easy, amused smile, like he was taking a stroll rather than walking into a hole that ate worlds. Maybe, somewhere in the back of his head, he knew this could be the last stupid thing he ever did. So what? If he could avert disaster, then why not try?

Han turned to his friends, voice steady. "Everyone ready?"

Clara was back. Her Version 2.0 suit was busted, so she’d slapped on a simpler white rig.... not ideal, but better than nothing. The group nodded, shoulders squared, and together they stepped into the black maw.

Elexa and Balor and the others watched in stunned silence. Nobody could believe their eyes. "Wait... those crazy bastards actually went in?" Little One’s baffled voice cut through the crowd as he looked to Elexa and Balor for some answer. Both of them only wore grim expressions.

Silver Wing’s lips twitched into a small, tight smile. He stepped forward and spoke flatly, "Bron, Shin, Shae.... you three stay behind."

"No. Why should we?" Shae snapped. The other two exchanged glances; they knew where Silver Wing was heading and they weren’t about to let him go alone. They would follow him, like they always had.

Silver Wing’s face softened. "I know what you’re thinking. But I’m the one in the best condition right now. My reserves aren’t empty. You three are exhausted. Please stay."

They opened their mouths to object, then froze when they read something real in his eyes: raw grief braided with steel. "Please," he said. "If any of you step through that, I’m nearly certain you’ll die. I lost Raven once to carelessness. I won’t lose you. Not anymore."

The three hesitated, shaken by the honesty vibrating in his voice. Shin finally spoke, voice hard. "If you go and die, and the portal still breaks, what then? What if your sacrifice changes nothing? We’ll all still be dead."

Silver Wing turned to face the pulsing black. Violet rumbling stirred his hair. He spoke quietly, almost a prayer. "I believe in the Young Master. You all do, too. We’ve seen them pull miracles.... Preston City proved that. Trust them one more time."

Then he stepped in.

Shin, Bron, and Shae steadied themselves. Silver Wing’s words rooted in their minds. The Young Master and his crew had pulled off the impossible before; maybe, just maybe they could do it again.

Elexa’s grin was blinding. "What are you waiting for? Those upstarts think they run the show. We’ve been at this longer. If a member of the A6 has the nerve to go in, so do we." She didn’t hesitate; she strode through the portal.

Balor sighed, then followed. The dark folded over him like a closing lid.

Little One lingered. He watched the others vanish one by one and felt the weight of what they were doing. Nobody outside that swirl understood the true risk... this was the same kind of portal that had triggered the Sendok Calamity, the disaster that nearly erased humanity. Why were they walking into it like it was a picnic?

Logic shouted that he should run... find a remote place and wait this out. It would be the sane choice. But he stood frozen, green suit humming faintly, the glow of his skin reflecting the portal’s black light.

A thought, half-quote and half-lie, slid into his head: Humanity needs a bit of craziness to survive. He added, with a rueful half-smile, The man who said that must’ve been insane too.

Little One stepped forward. The black swirl slammed shut behind him with a violence that made the ground tremble, like a mouth sealing over a scream.

Shin, Bron, and Shae watched the portal’s edge. Their faces were solemn. A soft voice... Lightrunner’s, calm and warm... drifted to them. "The younger generation made their choice. They’ll do what they must. Rest. I’ll do everything I can to bring them back."

He stepped through without fanfare. Even an S-ranker joining didn’t calm the knot in their guts; the Sendok Calamity had a terrible history with S-rankers.

Then Bron’s fist clenched. "Shouldn’t Drake be thrown into that thing?" he muttered through teeth, hatred coiling his voice. "He caused this. Let him clean it up, even if it kills him."

They turned.... and there was no Drake. He’d vanished in the chaos. The realization hit like a slap; Bron ground his teeth until the gauntlet on his hand scraped a harsh, metallic sound.

"Chase him down?" Shin asked. For more chapters visıt NoveI-Fire.ɴet

Shae shook her head, eyes flat. "No. The Hero association will catch him. He’s wanted. He’s done for.

Meanwhile, far from where Shin and the others stood, a lone figure tore across a field littered with corpse, human and beast alike. Blood soaked the earth. Smoke hung thick. Drake ran at full speed, breath ragged, eyes burning with a mess of emotions.... rage, humiliation, and fear most of all.

He knew what that black portal meant.

He knew better than anyone.

Born to one of the great families, leader of a powerful organization, he’d spent years gathering every scrap of knowledge about black portals.... and all research pointed to one single truth. When a black portal appears, destruction follows. Always.

Those idiots....

Those suicidal fools had stepped into it anyway.

"They’ll die," Drake hissed under his breath. "Every damn one of them."

The first black portal in recorded history had never been cleared. It broke on its own .... nearly wipe off the entire continents. And now, here it was again.

He slowed, chest heaving, anger mixing with disbelief.

So much had happened in one day. His empire.... gone. His men.... slaughtered. Tortured by that damned hero. His pride shattered and spat on.

His jaw clenched. "I swear on my life, Han Trystan," he growled, his voice shaking with venom, "I’ll have my revenge. No matter what it takes."

But for now... survival first. He had to lie low, gather strength, rebuild.

He turned to move.... and froze.

A deafening boom tore through the air, the shockwave nearly throwing him off his feet. A shadow dropped from the sky and landed hard enough to crack the ground. The presence was primal, suffocating.... like standing before a living beast.

Drake’s breath hitched.

No. No way.

The temperature spiked. Flames bloomed to his right as another figure appeared.... floating inches above the ground, heat distorting the air around him.

A third presence followed, silent, plain, yet heavier than gravity itself.

Drake’s veins turned to ice as he recognized them.

In front of him — Rank 2 Hero: The Beast.

To the right — Rank 3 Hero: Undying Flame.

And to the left — Rank 4 Hero: Lord Tech.

The very three monsters he had trapped using everything he had — now standing before him, free.

Drake’s pulse thundered. There was no escape. Behind him was the black portal — death. Ahead of him were three different kinds of death.

The Beast grinned, revealing sharp, predatory fangs. "Running somewhere, Drake?"

Drake forced a trembling smile, his voice cracking. "Heh... gentlemen. Nice to see you all again."

---

Meanwhile, inside the black portal—

Han and the others emerged into a world unlike anything they had ever seen. The moment Han’s boots touched the ground, his system interface exploded in a cascade of red alerts.

[WARNING: DANGER LEVEL - MAXIMUM]

[SYSTEM ALERT: HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT DETECTED]

[DANGER. DANGER. DANGER.]

Han’s breath caught. His heart hammered against his ribs as he took in the landscape

... the blood-red sky, the cracked earth pulsing faintly like living flesh, and the air itself.... thick, wrong, suffocating.

"This..." he whispered, eyes wide. "What the hell is this place...?"

TO BE CONTINUED...

AUTHOR’S NOTE

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