I looked up at the sky. The red rain had stopped, but the dark clouds had gathered into a churning mass, coalescing into a massive gate. Soon, monsters would begin to fall.

On the ground below, an armed military force stood ready. Artillery and missile launchers aimed skyward, exuding a grim, intimidating presence. Alongside them, soldiers with mana rifles, provisional players, and parties of certified rank-5 hunters were on standby. Their mission was to eliminate any creature that survived the initial barrage and made it to the ground. This force was collectively known as the Defense Team.

On the opposite side, a fleet of helicopters waited. Military-grade aircraft boasting overwhelming performance, their engines powered by mana stones. Inside were veteran hunters, all at least certified rank 4. They were the Breach Team. Their job was to enter the gate directly, hold the front line to stop monsters from reaching Earth, and scour the otherworld to find and kill the Disaster's boss.

"Attention, citizens!" a warning broadcast blared. "In a short while, the entire city of Gunsan will fall within the range of the 'Classic Gate' Disaster. We ask all citizens to evacuate the danger zone without exception and move to shelters in nearby cities. I repeat!"

The faces of the soldiers were etched with tension. The roads leading out of Gunsan were still clogged with lines of refugee vehicles. Some people had abandoned their cars and were fleeing on foot. Mothers soothed crying children while husbands walked silently, carrying bags larger than their own backs.

Disasters spread fear so easily, eating away at humanity. It felt as if a distant god was toying with mankind, as if it was saying, 'Still not extinct? Good job. Then how about this?'

It was detestable. If humanity's extinction was a predetermined, unavoidable fate, then just get it over with, like Noah's Flood or the Great Ice Age. Instead, it sent out monsters piecemeal, giving humans time and resources to fight back, slowly killing them off as if for sport, watching them struggle to survive. Was all of this just entertainment before the arrival of the ultimate disaster, Nemesis?

"Hey. What's with the serious face?" Yoonjeong asked, fastening her helicopter seatbelt next to me.

"…Nothing."

"You're no fun." She nudged my elbow, as if telling me to relax.

"Are you really going to be okay?" I asked one last time.

She bit her lip hard. If she said no, I would get her off this helicopter immediately. But she forced a smile and answered, "Of course."

Once we had all buckled in, Marcello took a seat in the front. "It's about to begin." His smile didn't fade, even on the brink of war. This man, I thought, must live a difficult life.

Just then, a voice crackled from the military radio they had taken from the Holy Knights. "Gate opens in twenty minutes! All Breach Teams, launch!"

'Takakakakakaka!'

The military magic helicopters on the ground rose into the sky as one.

"Shall we get going as well?" Marcello picked up another radio. "This is the Holy Knights. We are launching."

"This is the Gravekeepers. Launching."

The propellers roared to life. Pure white helicopters, the color of the Holy Knights' vestments, soared into the sky. Simultaneously, eight golden helicopters carrying the Gravekeepers also took flight. Yoonjeong and I gripped the handles on the ceiling. The vibrations were intense, but the speed was incredible. Our sixteen helicopters instantly overtook the Korean military's and rose to the highest point in the sky.

"Sixteen unregistered helicopters ascending! HQ, please confirm!" a frantic voice shouted over the military radio. A moment later, a warning came directly from one of the military helicopters.

"This is the Disaster Emergency Response Committee HQ! Warning! You have illegally entered our nation's airspace and operational zone! Identify yourselves and depart immediately! If you do not comply, we will open fire!"

Marcello smirked and picked up the radio. "This is Marcello of the Holy Knights. In accordance with the Global Hunter Alliance agreement, we are participating in the disaster response of our member nation, Korea."

"I am the Pharaoh of the Gravekeepers," Menes's voice cut in from her own radio. "Who's shooting at whom? Go ahead, try it. We'll wipe you all out before we proceed."

'...Haha. These crazy bastards. Is this the confidence of a World Guild?' A dry laugh escaped me. I could almost hear the panicked murmurs of the government officials from here.

"Th-This is the Disaster Emergency Response Committee H—" 'Ksshk!'

"This is Im Namjin." The voice changed. "Archbishop, Pharaoh. Are you both participating in this operation?"

"My apologies, Hunter Im," Marcello replied smoothly. "As we stated previously, joint operations are not possible. We will be conducting an independent operation without taking orders from Korea."

"We'll move on our own," Menes added. "But if you don't get in our way, we might clean up some small fry for you."

Silence fell over the radio. Unauthorized entry into an operational zone was a considerably rude and offensive move, but…

'Ksshk!' "We thank you for your support," Namjin said, his voice steady. "The Korea Hunter Association supports your independent operations."

He was handling it flexibly. It was a rational decision. Korea was currently dealing with four gates. In a situation where they needed all the help they could get, there was no need to clash over pride when two World Guilds were offering to take the lead.

After putting down the radio, Marcello turned to me and smiled. "So far, things have gone as you said they would, Hunter Kim."

"Yes. That's a relief."

"Now, we're going straight up. Both of you, hold on tight."

The pure white and golden helicopters pierced the atmosphere at top speed.

'Ksshk!' "Gate fully open!"

I could see the clouds gathering, the gate of the Disaster opening its maw. Within it, something with two gleaming eyes looked down at the ground. They were monsters, pitch black with nothing but crimson eye sockets. A shiver ran down my spine.

'I've seen them somewhere before… Ah!'

I had seen them briefly on the second floor of the Trial. To get into the Cube, I had to flee from those endlessly charging lesser demons. They looked exactly the same, but their forms varied wildly—some small, some large, some with tails, some with wings.

'Krieeeeee!'

As the gate opened, the black monsters began to pour down like rain.

"Holy Knights, breaking through!" Marcello commanded.

"Gravekeepers, ascending!" Menes's voice echoed.

Marcello, clutching the cross on his necklace, muttered something quickly. A white force field spread out like a shield around the sixteen helicopters. Monsters that crashed into it cried out in pain and shattered into pieces.

"Everyone, hold on tight," Menes's voice came over the radio.

I looked out the window, startled. Thousands of meters in the air, grains of sand were flying through the sky.

Seeing this phenomenon with Deva's Eye was even more astounding. The very mana in the sky was transforming directly into sand.

"All units. On my signal, break through at maximum speed," Menes ordered.

The sand shot out at a ferocious speed, obliterating the monsters. It was overwhelming power. The wave of sand covered the entire open area.

"Five, four, three."

It was like a snowball effect. The more the sand flew, the greater its volume became. Whipping about as if alive, it pierced through the swarm of falling monsters and carved a wide-open path toward the gate.

"Two, one. Now!"

The mana helicopters ascended at maximum speed. Menes's ability created the path, and Marcello's force field blocked any stray monsters she missed.

'Gah!'

Inside the helicopter, the immense pressure made it hard to stay conscious. I was wearing a protective headset, but my ears felt clogged.

"Hold on tight! We're about to break through!" At Marcello's shout, we gripped the handles.

The helicopter instantly tore through the monsters and plunged into the clouds. My vision shook violently as the aircraft's turbulence reached its peak.

'Fwoooooooosh!'

A moment later, the terrible pressure and sense of speed began to fade. I let out a deep breath.

"All sixteen units have successfully entered the gate."

"Altitude stabilizing."

"All communication equipment, online for dungeon check."

'Ugh, I feel sick.' It hadn't been a pleasant flight, and my stomach was churning. I turned my gaze to the window. A clear sky, without a speck of dust, stretched out before me. The green landscape formed a lush forest, a terrain of flat ground punctuated by rolling hills.

'So this is the inside of the Disaster. It's different from what I imagined.'

On the surface, it was an utterly peaceful space. If you ignored the fact that it was teeming with monsters, it was nature itself, untouched by human hands.

Marcello picked up the radio. "The Korean hunters will handle operations near the entrance. We will proceed further inside."

"Copy."

He finished the transmission and turned to us. "We'll circle the area for about thirty minutes to establish a position, so you two should get some rest."

Thirty minutes. A very welcome thirty minutes. I felt like I was going to throw up. I took off the protective headset and chugged a bottle of water. The refreshing feeling was brief; as time passed, my stomach only felt worse.

"Yusin," Yoonjeong said, her voice pulling me from my thoughts. She had been staring blankly out the window. "Is it really okay to come all the way here? You said you were going to catch Armin Walter. Can he even find his way to a place like this?"

"Ah, about that…"

"Don't worry too much about that," Marcello interjected, turning to us. "Once Armin Walter decides on a 'vessel,' he'll chase it to the ends of the earth. Numerous past case files can attest to that. We don't need to worry about whether he'll follow. We just need to worry about catching him for certain when he arrives."

"How can you be so sure?" Yoonjeong asked.

Hearing her question, Marcello glanced out the window for a moment, then smiled brightly. "We have some time. Shall I tell you an interesting story?"

We looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

"You both know that Armin Walter's body has changed multiple times, correct?"

Yoonjeong and I nodded. He had said it was over twenty times.

"The body he is currently using is, in fact, my father's."

Our shock was impossible to hide.

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