[Massive <A> Rank Anomalous Gate found within Zone 2 of Malovia Islands. Thrall Class and above suspected!]
The massive headline was the first thing that grabbed my attention.
As if also receiving the same news, Niel also took out his phone and had a sudden change in expression.
“An A-ranked gate? Thrall Class and above suspected…?”
His shock was understandable.
<A> ranked gates were extremely rare. In fact, it was so rare that the Severed Star Guild had only just recently cleared one.
…Which was in reality the gate that I had helped clear.
There was only <S> grade that was above <A> rank, but those were extremely rare, and in times that they did come, the entire BAU would be forced to move, alongside the Guilds stationed around the world.
That was a world-threatening event.
As far as I had managed to research, such occasions only happened three times in human history.
‘Why did an <A> ranked gate show up out of nowhere?’
Staring at the news report, the curiosity got the better of me, and I clicked on the notification to get a better read of the situation.
I wished I hadn’t done that.
Reading the first few lines, my expression grew even grimmer.
“The Gate is currently estimated to be <A> rank, but experts believe its level is steadily rising. There’s a possibility it could reach <S> rank. The BAU has been alerted, and all of Zone 2 has been placed under lockdown.”
My heart sank at the sight.
Most anomalous gates had reasoning behind their creation.
In fact, all of them had their reasons.
For such a powerful gate to appear from out of nowhere, it didn’t make sense.
‘There must be some sort of reason.’
And it was that very ‘reason’ that was nagging at the back of my mind.
The more I thought about it, the more my heart sank as I scrolled down my phone and eventually paused at a certain image.
It was an image of a certain building.
One where the Gate was detected to be in.
At first glance, it was old.
The paint had peeled off in long, dry strips, and the stonework was chipped and cracked in several places. Windows were either shattered or boarded up, and the marquee above the entrance was faded and rusted.
The wide double doors hung unevenly on their hinges, just barely giving a glimpse of the insides, which were shrouded in darkness.
I stared at the picture in silence before looking at the text right beneath the image.
Velmoor Opera House.
“Hoo.”
I took a deep breath, feeling my hands slowly starting to shake.
I tried to keep my composure, but a creeping dread crawled up my spine as I gazed at the opera house.
‘It.. can’t be, right…?’
I really wanted to negate the possibility, but the more I stared at the opera house in front of me, the more the sinking feeling grew.
And then—
Bang!
The door suddenly opened and several figures walked in.
“Squad Leader!”
Mia rushed in with her phone in her hand.
She pointed at it.
“Did you see the news?!”
“…I have.”
I replied slowly while showing my own phone.
“It’s chaos out there! Everyone is panicking!”
Mia then began to describe to me the entire situation.
“Everyone’s heading back to the Guild. The Guild Master ordered an immediate return for all members. They’re even including the members from the other departments. I’ve never seen something like this happen before.”
“Is that so…?”
I scrolled through my phone notifications and saw the emergency message from the Guild.
[All Guild members, return to the Guild immediately! Code Violet has been enacted!]
Code Violet…
That was probably the highest emergency code within the Guild.
The Codes were as follows.
Code Green – Singular Team
Code Orange – Singular Department
Code Violet – Entire Guild
There were only three codes, but rarely had a Code Violet ever been used before.
Lifting my head up, I looked to see everyone looking at me.
“Well then.”
Trying my best not to panic, I stood up from my seat and headed to the door.
“…All of you go down to the lower floors and meet up with the Section Chief.”
“Huh? But what about you…?”
“Are you not going with us?”
“Me?”
I paused by the door and smiled.
“I’ll join you.”
No, fuck that.
Forget about the raise, it was time for me to run away.
*
“What amazing timing, eh? I just rushed back to the Guild from my mission and met you.”
“….”
Kyle dragged me out of the elevator with his arm over my shoulder.
The amount of curses that I was holding back at this very moment…
“All of that aside, how are things going with your team?”
“Good, I guess.”
They weren’t good at first, but after my talk with Niel, I could see that the situation had improved a lot. There was still a lot of work to do, but we were headed in the right direction.
“Looks like everyone is already gathered.”
Upon arriving at the main area, hundreds of white chairs were laid out, most of which were occupied.
The Section Chief stood at the far end, dressed in a neat suit, his expression unusually serious. Beside him stood several others, also in formal suits, their expressions just as serious and solemn.
I spotted Team Leader Soran at the end of the row.
She stood with her hands clasped in front of her, her expression just as serious as the others. But after watching her closely, I noticed that every dozen seconds, she would tug at the collar of her shirt, pulling it back slightly.
She looked uncomfortable …
“You two, grab a seat.”
Feeling the Section Chief’s gaze, the two of us looked around before finding a couple of seats.
Once we sat, we waited for several minutes until the Section Chief spoke.
“…By now, everyone should already be aware of why everyone has been called to come back to the Guild.”
The place was silent.
All eyes were trained on the Section Chief.
“An <A>-ranked Gate appeared unexpectedly in the middle of Zone 2. The monitoring team is keeping a constant watch on it, but from what we’ve gathered so far, the Gate’s energy levels are steadily rising. There’s a slim chance it could evolve into an <S>-rank.”
The tension in the room rose considerably upon those words.
Everyone was aware of what an <S> ranked gate would mean.
“…Of course, the chances are low. However, in the off-chance that it truly evolves into an <S> ranked gate, expect Malovia Island to be entirely shut down. Only we and the other Guilds will be allowed to stay on the island.”
By that, he meant that all citizens were going to be evacuated. We wouldn’t be since we’d have to help the BAU clear the gate.
“Several scouts have entered the gate, but we haven’t heard from them yet. As far as we know, they’re all still alive. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad news, but the initial team did manage to find something.”
Pausing, the Section Chief took out his phone and connected it to the projector above as a beam of light shot towards the nearby wall, displaying what appeared to be a poster.
All eyes turned towards the image.
Mine too.
The poster looked quite old and worn out. There didn’t seem to be anything particular about it; however, as the Section Chief extended his hand, he pointed towards a certain part by the end of the poster.
It was faded, but I could see it.
Words…
“Became part of the Audience.”
He began speaking.
“Enjoy the perfect piece.”
My heart drummed inside my mind.
“Witness perfection.”
I lost my breath.
“—The Jester.”