Chapter 698: Another One?!

Back on Earth, another wave of power erupted from the gate.

The blast rolled out across the evacuated plaza, stronger than the last, and the shockwave pushed what remained of the command tent’s canvas and sent the news crews stumbling back once more.

The Threshold Gauge device screamed, the numbers cycling frantically as the reading climbed to a new height.

Halvern stood against the pressure and stared at the device, his face pale.

"It rose again... higher than the last spike."

The second Surpasser beside him had a grim expression on his face.

"That’s not possible. Two of these surges already, and now a third, each one higher than the last. Just what the hell is happening in there?"

Both Surpassers stared at the pulsing gate, and the same dark thought crossed both their minds. Another power spike likely meant another powerful enemy appearing inside a gate that should never have held anything like this.

"How," Halvern muttered, "how do powers on this level keep appearing in a B-rank gate? This gate isn’t supposed to be able to birth a single Surpasser-tier being, let alone whatever is generating these readings. This was already a difficult task...with these readings, it becomes impossible."

The second Surpasser’s jaw tightened. "If there’s a second enemy in there, then the team will die, it’s only a matter of time There’s no reality of this where seven Evolvers manage to survive this."

Neither of them could know that the escalating power wasn’t a new enemy at all. That it was Moon’s own Beast Soul, ascended to Surpasser rank on the strength of a true elf’s heart, its existence bleeding out through the gate the same way the archer’s had.

From the outside, all the instruments could read was the raw magnitude, and the magnitude said catastrophe.

The two Surpassers were still staring at the gate helplessly, when a third wave of pressure announced a new arrival, this time from behind them rather than the gate.

A man strode toward the command post with confidence. On his chest was the insignia of the Glassy Group, and the aura coming off him marked him unmistakably as a Surpasser in his own right.

He reached the command tent and inclined his head to Halvern and his colleague.

"Apologies for the intrusion. I’m here on behalf of the Glassy Group. Tom Glassy sent me personally to observe this operation and report back. He has a considerable personal interest in one of the fighters currently inside that gate."

His eyes moved to the Threshold Gauge, looking at the reading, and one brow rose a little. "And judging by what I’m looking at, I arrived at an interesting time. Can you fill me in about everything from the beginning?"

Halvern and the second Surpasser exchanged a glance, then nodded, and between them they laid out everything for the Glassy Group’s envoy from the moment Moon’s team entered the gate.

Halfway through the explanation, an Evolver from the outer perimeter escorted two figures toward the command tent.

The Evolver caught Halvern’s attention first. Then the two young women following him did, and Halvern recognized one of them immediately.

That’s Selene Sky... they must be here for Moon.

He sighed internally. If every person Moon knew was going to descend on this operation, he was going to have a very long, very difficult time managing it.

A gate this dangerous, a national prodigy inside, and now the daughter of one of the strongest Ascenders showing up at his post.

The political weight alone gave him a headche.

He turned to the escorting Evolver. "I’ll take it from here. You can return to your post."

The Evolver nodded and withdrew.

The Glassy Group’s Surpasser turned as the two young women approached, and his expression turned softer. He’d met them before, a handful of times, through his connection to Tom.

"Miss Selene. Miss Yara. It’s good to see you both, though I wish it were under calmer circumstances." Selene and Yara nodded in greeting, but the look on both their faces made it clear they weren’t here for pleasantries.

"Good to see you too."

Selene’s eyes then went to the gate at the center of the plaza, radiating waves of pressure, "What’s happening?" she asked. "Is everything okay with that gate?"

Selene and Yara had returned back to earth at the specified date they had agreed upon before. After seeing Moon’s message, the two met each other and made their way to the gate immediately.

Halvern let out a slow breath, and the pity in his expression said more than words could, "I won’t lie to you, because you’ll hear it regardless. The situation inside that gate is far worse than anyone anticipated when the operation began. The gate has produced power readings we’ve never recorded for its rank. Our analysts believe there is at least one entity of Surpasser-level strength active inside, although there is high chance there is two now." He paused, choosing his words carefully. "And your friend, along with the rest of his team, is in there with it. They’re all Evolvers. Against something like that, the odds are... not in their favor."

Selene and Yara listened to the full report in silence, waiting for Halvern to finish before either of them spoke.

"And that’s everything we know," Halvern concluded, his voice heavy. "At this point, we can only prepare for the worst and expand the evacuation across the entire region." He glanced at the gate again, the worry deepening into his eyes.

"That’s it?" Selene asked.

Halvern’s eyes moved from the gate back to her, confusion crossing his face.

"Forgive me, I don’t quite follow your meaning."

"What I mean is," Selene said, tilting her head, "there are only one or two Surpassers inside the gate. That’s the only threat?"

"...Well. Yes. But I would remind you that a Surpasser-tier entity inside a B-rank gate has never been recorded in the history of gate exploration. This is unprecedented, and the danger is sky high."