White Eagle Federation, Area 51.
Boom—
A roar echoed from the depths of the base, mist billowing. A man with bare chest emerged, donned a black leather jacket, his expression gradually regaining its cold, commanding demeanor.
The leader of Area 51, after ascending to the Third Awakening and entering seclusion for over ten days to stabilize his mind and reduce pollution, finally emerged at this moment!
"The power of the Third Awakening is indeed miraculous and potent."
"The path of awakening holds infinite possibilities!"
"The inhibitory agent invented by Doctor Strange is also quite good. In just twelve days, it suppressed the aftereffects of awakening. Excellent, excellent."
"Allocate more research funding to Doctor Strange's laboratory. Inquire about the timeline for developing an Awakened serum."
Emerging from the secluded resting chambers, the leader inquired about the recent situation and issued orders.
His assistant reported, "The Shattered Lands are becoming increasingly dangerous. We have recalled our scouts, and other nations have done the same."
"What are the nations' movements?"
"The nations..."
As the assistant was about to speak, piercing alarm sirens blared throughout the base.
A staff member nervously exclaimed, "Leader, grey fog has appeared not far from our base. It is strongly suspected to be a Hell Gate, and it will open soon."
"Furthermore, we previously received a mysterious warning letter mentioning that Hell Gates would appear in multiple locations."
"However, we cannot trace the origin of the letter."
The leader in the black leather jacket frowned. "A cowardly scoundrel. Ignore it."
He proceeded to the command center, gazing at the suspected locations of the Hell Gates. He clenched his fists, his eyes filled with confidence.
He reached out and put on a gem-encrusted glove, feeling the power surging within him. The leader laughed heartily.
"Let the world witness the might of our Area 51."
...
Sunset Country,
South suburbs of Fog City. This was the area most severely damaged during the previous Red Moon disaster, with most buildings reduced to ruins and yet to be rebuilt. Now, a faint grey fog began to spread.
"What is the status of Fog City's evacuation?"
"Sir, the evacuation is currently being expedited, but... but it's impossible to complete a full evacuation in just two hours, and many people are protesting."
The high-ranking official of the Night Watchers' faces darkened. Looking at the ruins in the southern suburbs at this moment, he felt a sense of luck.
At least the Gate of the Otherworld appeared in this area. There were hardly any people left here, making evacuation and lockdown simple.
He waved his hand in frustration, "Expedite the evacuation of all non-essential personnel. Forceful measures can be employed!"
Evacuations were underway.
Defenses were being established.
Sunset Country had four Gates of the Otherworld this time. However, two were located in remote wilderness areas that could be temporarily ignored, and one appeared near a city but was still some distance away.
The most troublesome was the one in the southern suburbs of Fog City.
Moreover, according to the warning from the "Beacon of Hope," the danger of this particular Gate of the Otherworld far exceeded the norm. The Night Watchers' organization dared not take it lightly. They mobilized all available forces and arrayed them before the grey fog area, prepared for battle.
Time ticked by.
The sky seemed to grow darker, with storm clouds obscuring the sun. The grey fog surrounding them thickened.
Yule glanced at his tablet computer for the two hundred and thirty-sixth time. The countdown displayed on it had reached its final moments.
"The 'Eye of Heaven' system indicates ten minutes remaining. At this point, the Gate of the Otherworld could open at any moment."
"Enter maximum alert!"
Gulp.
The newer Night Watchers' hands clenched, sweat beading on their palms.
The veteran Night Watchers' gazes were also fixed.
Suddenly, the grey fog churned violently, as if a colossal beast were breathing. The surrounding sky grew even darker. Black shadows began to emerge from the fog, their monstrous visages gradually revealing themselves.
"They're here!"
"The Gate of the Otherworld has opened!"
"First wave of the grey fog's breath."
"Wait, the first batch includes large-scale aberrations?"
Several large-scale aberrations appeared, beyond simple item-based elimination.
The Night Watchers employed tactics to lure and disperse the emerging aberrations. Once these few large-scale aberrations were drawn away, several powerful Night Watcher elites stepped forward, each leading two or three team members.
They were burly, their gazes sharp, their expressions resolute. Wielding standard-issue "Beacon of Hope" broadswords, they advanced with powerful strides, appearing as masters to any observer.
"Who are these individuals?" Anna asked.
Beside her, a voluptuous woman, also an exchange student, introduced them. "These are all masters within the Night Watchers' organization, holding the title of 'Knight'! It is extremely difficult to earn the title of Knight in our organization."
"The one holding the black broadsword is titled 'Black Knight,' and his ability is Knightly Armor."
As the voluptuous woman finished speaking, the Black Knight, who had stepped forward, let out a low growl. Instantly, a black liquid surged from the ground, spreading along his body. In mere seconds, it enveloped the burly man's entire form, then transformed.
It became a heavy, full suit of black armor.
Bang! Bang!
The Black Knight advanced, fearlessly engaging the large-scale aberration. His broadsword sparked against the aberration's scales, but when colliding with the aberration, he was only pushed back two steps.
He had tanked a direct blow from a large-scale aberration.
Meanwhile, the Black Knight's teammates were poised to strike, flanking and attacking. With their coordinated efforts, they eliminated this large-scale aberration in just a few breaths.
"The one wearing the red cloak is the Blazing Knight, whose awakened ability is flame infusion."
His broadsword ignited with blazing flames, each strike leaving a noticeable mark on the large-scale aberration.
"The last one is the Phantom Knight, whose ability appears to be phantom duplication. He is the strongest among the three Knights."
With a low roar, this Knight's body inexplicably split into four.
Four identical figures surrounded the large-scale aberration. He didn't even need his teammates' coordination. His swordsmanship was exquisite, and in a short while, he single-handedly defeated a massive aberration.
The first wave of aberrations ended swiftly.
Cheers erupted from the Night Watchers in the distance. Even within the department, opportunities to witness the actions of "titled" experts were rare.
The clean and decisive start filled many with confidence.
Yule, however, was not overly optimistic.
This was merely the first wave, the weakest. What lay ahead was uncertain, and the duration of the war was unknown.
"We must conserve life energy, especially you."
He looked at the Phantom Knight. "I've assigned you a few teammates to help you conserve strength for the battles ahead."
The Phantom Knight nodded sincerely. "Next time, for sure."
The Night Watchers' organization did not get much time to rest. Soon, the second grey fog breath appeared.
Just as they managed to clear it, the third wave arrived.
This time, more large-scale aberrations emerged from the grey fog.
Yule's brow furrowed. He saw the Archmage beside him rolling up his sleeves, revealing his powerful, bulging arms, looking as if he were about to enter the fray.
He quickly intervened. "Esteemed Archmage, you must conserve sufficient life energy. Now is not the time for you to act."
This was only the third grey fog breath!
At this moment, the voluptuous woman volunteered. "Sir, leave this to us."
The voluptuous woman, codenamed Iris, was a newly awakened Night Watcher with good potential and an influential background. Thus, she was sent to study at the "Beacon of Hope" training camp.
Yule naturally remembered individuals with such backgrounds.
"Go ahead."
He mused.
The return of the exchange students was fortunate. Most of them only had potential and weren't quite experts, but there were thirty individuals with First Awakening, which constituted a considerable force.
And they had returned from their studies at "Beacon of Hope."
Well, the situation was still under control. It would be a test of their training results through real combat.
Yule, along with many other high-ranking Night Watchers, thought this.
The next second, their eyes widened.
Iris, a "First Awakening," wielding twin wrist blades, moved with the lightness of a butterfly. Dodging two aberrations' attacks, she sliced her blades at their weak points.
Then, she leaped into the air, evading a heavy tail swipe from a scaled aberration. Her wrist blades emanated a red glow, and a three-foot-long red sword energy shot towards the neck of the scaled large-scale aberration.
One strike, and it was dead.
She flipped again, landing gracefully.
"It, it's over already?"
When Yule saw Iris impulsively charge into the horde of aberrations, his heart leaped, and he felt a flicker of displeasure. However, he was ready to intervene at any moment.
If this woman died so easily, it would be troublesome.
Yule raised his hand.
Yule's hand froze.
In his field of vision, Iris's speed was so astonishing that his eyes could barely keep up.
He couldn't help but turn to another high-ranking official. "Wasn't Iris only a First Awakening before?"
"She was a First Awakening, and she only awakened a month ago," the official replied.
Could he have misremembered? Yule wanted to press further, but then he saw several extremely powerful figures appear on the field.
Their swords were sharp.
Their strength was formidable.
Their bodies moved like phantoms.
Individually, from his perspective, they were all titled experts worthy of the "Knight" title.
Did we have this many titled experts in the Night Watchers?
Why didn't I have any recollection of them?
Oh, they're the returning exchange students, never mind... Wait a moment!
Iris, still wearing her "Beacon of Hope" training uniform, leaped and darted, her movements as graceful as a dance. The righteousness she displayed was incredibly powerful.
However, the attention of everyone present was not on that.
Seeing them retreat to rest briefly, Yule couldn't help but ask, "Your training abroad, did it improve... so, so dramatically?"
"Yes~!"
"Sir, I mentioned in my previous report that the improvement was significant."
But was "significant" and "significant" the same thing?!
He was amazed, dumbfounded, almost forgetting about the Gate of the Otherworld before him, his mind filled with the transformations of the exchange students.
But was this reasonable?
"What's unreasonable about it?"
"We traveled thousands of miles to study at 'Beacon of Hope'; it's normal to improve more."
"Right, right. This is the result of our training."
"Very impressive? No, no, no. Our level here might be considered average at the 'Beacon of Hope' training camp... Oh, alright, alright, slightly below average."
"Because that is 'Beacon of Hope,' a place of miracles and hope!"
Anna's chin lifted slightly.
Proud, and as if it were natural.