Incomplete Rift -2-
“Rohan!!! Civilian evacuations should wrap up before the security officers even arrive!!!”
“Lucky most of the customers today were cadets!”
Nicholas, who had come up with the Gilbert couple, froze at the sight of the women gathered there.
Ichinose Yui and Noah Frozenheart…?!
He didn't recognize the others, but those two were heavyweights among heavyweights.
He'd only stopped by Academy City briefly on his way back with his friends, never dreaming he'd run into them like this.
But his surprise was short-lived.
Nicholas felt puzzled by the sharp stares piercing him.
Everyone except Rohan was glaring at him. Some were more curious than hostile, but it was still unnerving.
His mouth shut before he could even greet them.
Are they wary because we’ve never met?
He'd figured Gilbert and Emily, fellow academy students, would smooth things over.
Or maybe it was just the Orion Academy cadet vibe. Their eyes were fierce—nothing ordinary about it.
BAM!
Sion, who had been eyeing Nicholas, yanked the trigger hard and fired an explosive round.
It swept away a massive cluster of Morbid Frames stuck in the rift.
“Oppa… here!”
“Thanks.”
Rohan took the spare magazine from Clara and pocketed it, then gave everyone a quick rundown.
“Those things are about to pour out like a swarm of bees. Prioritize protecting civilians and take out whatever you can reach.”
“Got it!”
Gilbert nodded in acknowledgment. Nicholas and Emily had no choice but to follow Rohan’s lead.
All the girls there were already watching him intently, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
“They’re not highly intelligent monsters, so no need to plunge into the center. Focus on picking off the ones swarming the edges, and you’ll see the end in sight.”
Rohan cautioned them not to get overexcited and dive too deep, to manage their mana wisely, then hopped up onto the railing.
Sion fired one more explosive round to empty her chamber, then got ready to follow Rohan and Clara.
“Morbid Frames die when the hands connected to the frame melt off. Got it? Don’t get careless and dragged in.”
“Of course!!! That’s straight out of Orion Academy training!!!”
As Rohan heated his blade with Scorching Blade, making it gleam brilliantly,
Nicholas stepped forward with a smile. He finally spoke up.
“Cadet Rohan. Now that we’ve reunited like this, I’d love to exchange proper greetings once it’s over.”
“Sure.”
The girls’ eyes widened round at Nicholas’s low voice.
They quickly scanned his body for any telltale signs of gender.
And suddenly, things hidden by the jealous tightening in their hearts came into view.
“Oppa! Move freely! I’ll adjust and back you up…!”
“Rohan. Time to work.”
With Nicholas’s gender confirmed, energy and vigor infused the girls’ voices and movements.
The dimensional rift had widened enough for monsters to spill out.
Rohan leaped into the air without hesitation, twisting his body mid-jump.
A red slash wrapped in Scorching Blade and mana-charged bullets savagely tore into the monsters pouring from the rift.
—Shrieeeek!
He kicked away a frame grabbing at his leg with a scream, spinning his body.
Clara laid down a thread just in time.
“Hup!”
Rohan landed on the impossibly sturdy thread like a platform in midair.
Sion touched down beside him, shooting down any monsters veering off course.
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
Clara’s pistol quietly severed the monsters’ lifelines.
Rohan dove back into the swarm of Morbid Frames raining down below.
Every pass shattered and pulverized them, sending chunks plummeting. Even civilians fleeing to shelters stopped to watch the spectacle.
“Hahaha!!! I told everyone not to go near the center because it’s dangerous, but you charge right in! Classic Rohan!”
“Wow…”
Emily and Nicholas knew they needed to move, but they froze for a moment, mesmerized by the flawless teamwork between Rohan and the two girls.
Their movements were beautiful. Like perfectly meshed gears.
Fights were breaking out all over the shopping mall interior. But those three were clearly something special.
“Emily! Nicholas! We gotta move too!”
Emily and Nicholas snapped to at Gilbert’s voice and the sudden chill in the air.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how much Gilbert and Emily have grown at the academy.”
“Let’s go.”
They gripped their gear and glanced back.
Another breathtaking sight left them speechless. The source of the sudden cold filled their vision.
Noah Frozenheart had slung an ice axe—somewhere-sourced—over her shoulder.
Massive mana and frigid air swirled around her.
The beastkin girl, whose tail had been swishing lazily, strode purposefully after Ichinose Yui in her direction.
“Noah. Let’s move quick. There’s a high chance of special specimens showing up.”
“Yeah! We’ve got responsibilities!”
Ichinose smiled without asking what Noah meant by “responsibilities.”
She knew.
Talents inherited from exceptional parents. An environment perfectly suited for growth. Everything provided.
Having lived more privileged lives than anyone, the girls carried a moral duty—a responsibility—to step up in situations like this without hesitation.
*****
Juyeon, restocking books at the bookstore,
Carrot, who’d finally queued up to buy the carrot tart she’d been craving now that she had some downtime,
Ed, on a rare date with his wife during a break—
All sensed the grotesque presence that appeared out of nowhere and moved without a second thought.
Academy City’s interior would be guarded by instructors and security officers with the right skills for protection.
Those who stepped outside just needed to identify the threats. If confirmed as enemies, focus solely on combat.
Juyeon among them.
She rapidly closed the distance to Pandora, who’d been moving cautiously.
Confirming the woman wouldn’t stop fleeing even after spotting her, Juyeon hurled her greatsword.
It succeeded in halting the suspicious figure’s feet.
But the giant showed no sign of surrender—instead radiating confidence as she began channeling mana.
“The city interior must be chaos too, right? You got time to waste chasing just me?”
Pandora had forcibly opened the rift by layering artificial mana under specific conditions.
And she sensed it wasn’t just one rift. Multiple connected ones had opened simultaneously.
Opening a single door like that would spawn small rifts all over the city interior and exterior.
Not threatening enough by size to rate as major dangers, but definite disasters for civilians.
“Hmph! Looks like Auntie doesn’t have a single reliable ally, huh? Academy City seems easy pickings to you?”
Carrot hurled the barb loaded with mockery.
She wasn’t in a good mood.
The extreme malice emanating from the woman, plus the carrot tart she’d lost right in front of her eyes.
Having abandoned her spot in line, she was burning with determination to capture her.
“Auntie…? Ha!”
Veins bulged on Pandora’s forehead.
The sunglasses in her hand crunched! and shattered into pieces.
As eerie mana surged, pitch-black monsters of unknown origin poured from her shadow.
—Kirrrk! Kik!
—Oh, ooh…! The smell of humans… living humans…!
The obsidian monsters’ sinister noises shook the air like a gale.
“Whoa, looks like ‘Auntie’ really got under her skin, huh?”
“Can’t you tell, Instructor Ed? She’s an auntie piling on cake-thick makeup to pretend she’s young!”
Ed chuckled at Carrot’s words, tossing and catching his hand axe as he observed.
All pitch-black. Shadow monsters? Never seen this ability before.
The pressure from each unidentified monster exceeded the norm.
Power like that should’ve made a name for her, whether in the light or shadows. Seeing it for the first time was a big red flag.
Should’ve done some calculations before coming.
Ed scratched his head at the chill creeping up his neck.
Against opponents like that, neither he nor Carrot might make it back alive today.
He was always prepared for that in this job—and compensated accordingly—but right now, he thought of his wife waiting at the restaurant.
“We can’t handle this level of power without civilian casualties piling up. Pull back reinforcements and support the interior.”
“Understood.”
At Juyeon’s request, the middle-aged security officer radioed it in immediately.
The four slowly shifted positions, surrounding Pandora in a box formation.
“I’ll fix that mouth of yours, so just wait.”
Pandora pointed at Carrot alone, her voice dripping not with elegance but pure murderous intent.
Carrot shook off the spine-tingling killing intent.
Feigning provocation, she perked her ears and curled her lips.
“Man, pretty girls get all the jealousy from aunties like you… such a pain.”
“Yeah, yeah. Before fixing your mouth, I’ll start with those ears and legs. I’ve always wondered how rabbits cry—perfect.”
“If you can, then try it!”
As if Carrot’s words were the trigger,
Everyone there moved at once.