The air felt heavy, not just hot or suffocating, but oppressive, like the sky itself had been weighing down on the world for far too long.
Sirens blared across the city as people rushed through the streets in panic. Vehicles were abandoned where they stood, shops shut in a hurry, and voices overlapped in fear. No one needed to ask what was happening.
Everyone knew.
The end of it had finally come.
Above the city, the sky was torn open. A massive black vortex twisted slowly, endlessly, like a wound that had refused to heal for an entire year.
An Asura Gate.
For one year, it had stood there, unmoving, unclosing, untouchable. More than a thousand raids had been launched. More than ten thousand hunters had entered, and none of them had returned victorious. Not the elites, not the S-ranks, not even the strongest hero in the world.
And now, it was starting to break.
---
"Akira… where are you…?"
Ryu pushed through the crowd, his eyes scanning desperately from one face to another. Every second felt like it was slipping through his fingers. He turned into a side street, then back again, searching again and again, but finding nothing.
"Damn it…!"
"Ryu!"
A hand grabbed his arm and pulled him to a stop. He turned sharply to see Emily standing in front of him.
"Let go—"
"Ryu, we need to leave. Now."
Her voice was firm, but the urgency in it was impossible to hide. Behind her, the rest of the team stood ready. Leon's usual confidence was gone, replaced by tension. Arjun kept glancing at the sky, his jaw tight. Kai remained silent, already prepared to move at any second.
Ryu tried to pull away. "Not now, Emily."
"No—now." She stepped closer, tightening her grip. "This isn't the time."
Ryu shook her hand off and turned back toward the crowd. "I don't have time for this."
Emily grabbed him again, harder this time. "The gate is about to break!"
As if answering her, a deep tremor echoed across the sky. The black vortex pulsed unnaturally, and for the first time in a year, it moved.
People screamed. Some pointed upward while others ran faster, panic spreading through the streets.
Ryu looked up for only a moment, his expression hardening. "…After a year… now?"
But he didn't stay focused on it. His gaze dropped immediately back to the crowd, still searching, still desperate.
"I don't care about the gate," he said, his voice low and tight with urgency. "I need to find him."
Above them, the sky cracked.
---
Emily's voice cut through the chaos again. "Ryu, listen to me!"
He stopped, but only for a second, his eyes still scanning the crowd.
"Then leave," he said quickly. "I'll come later."
"That's not how this works, and you know it." She stepped in front of him, blocking his path completely. "For one year, that thing has been sitting in the sky."
Her voice sharpened, anger rising beneath the urgency.
Ryu frowned, trying to move past her. "Move, Emily."
"No." Her grip tightened. "You're not thinking straight."
Another tremor shook the sky as the vortex pulsed violently. People around them screamed and ran faster, but neither of them moved.
Emily stepped closer, her voice dropping but growing heavier with every word. "That gate has been here for a year, Ryu. More than a thousand raids. More than ten thousand hunters… dead."
Ryu's jaw tightened.
She didn't stop. "Not the S-ranks. Not even the strongest hero in the world could close it. And you think we can fight what's inside that?"
Ryu's eyes darkened. "I'm not here to fight the gate. I'm here to find Akira."
Emily froze for a moment before shaking her head. "Yes, I know. That's why we came here. But look around you." She gestured toward the sky and the chaos around them. "That thing is about to break."
Ryu didn't respond.
"If it breaks," she continued, her voice rising, "this entire place is finished. And you want to stay here and search for one person?"
Ryu snapped. "He's not just one person. He's my brother."
The words carried weight, cutting through everything around them.
"He ran away because of us," Ryu continued, his fists clenching. "I'm not leaving him here."
Emily stared at him for a moment before speaking quietly. "So you want us to die with you?"
Ryu didn't hesitate. "…Then leave. I'm not stopping you."
The words settled heavily between them. Emily's grip slowly loosened as the rest of the team fell silent.
Ryu didn't wait. He turned and ran straight into the crowd, pushing past people, ignoring the panic and noise around him.
"Akira!"
No response.
"Akira!"
Still nothing.
But he didn't stop. He couldn't.
Every second mattered.
---
The sky split open.
A deafening crack echoed across the city as the Asura Gate ruptured. The vortex twisted violently before tearing apart, releasing waves of dark mana that slammed into the ground below. Buildings rattled, windows shattered, and people were thrown off their feet.
Ryu staggered but forced himself upright, his eyes snapping back to the sky. "…No way…"
No one expected this. Not this fast. After holding for a year, it broke in an instant.
"RUN!"
The streets descended into chaos. People pushed and fell over each other trying to escape.
Then the monsters began to fall.
Dark shapes dropped from the sky, crashing into the streets with violent force. One shattered the pavement beneath it. Another crushed a car on impact. More followed, dozens, then hundreds.
Ryu's breath caught. "…Monsters…"
The creature in front of him rose slowly, its twisted limbs and jagged claws scraping against the ground. Its red eyes locked onto a nearby human.
It lunged.
A scream followed.
Blood splashed across the street.
Ryu's fists clenched as his instincts screamed at him to move, to fight, to survive.
But his eyes still searched.
"Akira…!"
Even now.
Another monster landed nearby, then another, and another. The ground shook with each impact as the sky became an endless flood of creatures pouring into the world.
Then he heard it.
A small voice.
A cry.
Ryu turned and saw a little girl standing frozen in the middle of the street, staring up at the sky, unable to move.
Above her, a shadow dropped.
Ryu moved instantly.
---
He reached her just in time, pulling her away as the monster's claws slammed into the ground where she had been. The impact shattered the pavement as he slid across the street, shielding her.
"You alright?" he asked quickly.
The girl didn't answer. She clung to him, shaking.
"Stay behind me," he said, pushing her gently back before stepping forward.
The monster rose again, its red eyes locking onto him.
Ryu exhaled slowly and raised his hand. Mana gathered instantly, forming a blade in his grip. It wasn't flashy, but it was sharp and precise.
The creature lunged.
Ryu moved first.
His blade flashed, severing its arm mid-motion before driving straight through its chest. The monster collapsed with a distorted scream.
"…One."
A second later, something slammed into him from the side.
"Ghh—!"
The impact sent him crashing through a shop window. Glass shattered as he hit the wall inside. Pain shot through his back as he forced himself up.
Outside, the situation had worsened. The street was filled with monsters, far more than before.
Then they noticed him.
One by one, their red eyes turned toward him.
Ryu tightened his grip on his sword. "…You've got to be kidding me."
They began to close in.
There was no escape.
Ryu exhaled slowly, the tension in his body easing as he understood.
"…Yeah."
His voice was calm, but not peaceful.
"…Sorry, Akira."
The monsters moved.
And so did he.
---
Before they could reach him, a blur cut through the air. A monster collapsed instantly, its head severed cleanly.
Ryu's eyes widened slightly as more creatures fell, one after another, each taken down before they could react.
A figure landed in front of him.
Kai.
"Late as always," he said calmly.
A second later, another monster was sent flying across the street as Leon stepped forward. "Couldn't let you die without us."
Emily followed, her sharp gaze scanning Ryu. "You don't get to make that decision alone."
Arjun moved into position beside them. "Talk later. We need to move."
Ryu looked at them for a moment before tightening his grip on his weapon again. "Fine."
The monsters attacked again, but this time they were met with resistance. Kai moved like a shadow, cutting them down with precision. Leon crushed anything that came near. Emily controlled the battlefield from behind, while Arjun guided their movements, keeping them from being overwhelmed.
Together, they pushed forward, cutting through the incoming wave.
For a brief moment, it felt like they might hold.
Then the ground trembled again.
Not from the monsters.
Something else.
All of them slowed, their instincts forcing them to stop. Slowly, their gazes lifted toward the sky.
The gate had changed.
The darkness within it deepened.
And then they saw him.
A figure stood high above the battlefield, suspended within the torn sky. Long black hair drifted around him, and two dark horns curved from his head. His red eyes looked down at the world below.
The moment their eyes met his, something heavy pressed down on them.
Not an attack.
Not even directed.
But enough.
Ryu felt his grip tighten.
"…What is that…"
Below him, the monsters continued to pour out endlessly.
The figure didn't move.
Didn't speak.
He only watched.
And somehow, that was worse.
The pressure in the air grew heavier as the sky darkened further.
For the first time, Ryu understood something clearly.
This wasn't a battle they could win.
This was something else entirely.
The beginning of something far worse.