The gate was a gaping wound in the sky, pulsing with a frequency that vibrated in my very marrow. I wasn't far from it—I could reach the event horizon in less than thirty seconds at my current velocity—but the issue lay in the environmental resistance.
The massive wave of energy radiating from the portal pushed back against us with a physical, crushing weight. It gave me the terrifying impression that this pressure could sustain itself against our combined offensive for several long, gruelling minutes.
Minutes I didn't have.
"Screw it!" I snarled, my teeth gritted against the atmospheric friction.
Just as I witnessed that gigantic, obsidian-skinned arm posing arrogantly outside the gate, I reached my breaking point. A single, casual wave from that limb had sent our entire vanguard into a defensive struggle.
I couldn't afford to imagine what would happen if that crazy bastard on the other side decided to send a second, more focused wave of energy toward us.
