3 - S Rank Gate Raid .1

After two hours in the air, the private jet touched down at the Dragon Bone headquarters in Nebraska.

"Kiera, take the girl to the medical wing. Let the healers examine her—once we know who she is and why she was there, we'll decide what to do with her."

"Yes, sir," Kiera replied. She carefully lifted Aria into her arms and carried her through the sleek, dimly lit corridors before handing her off to the medical staff.

A short while later, Kiera returned to the commander's office, her footsteps echoing against the polished floor. "She's in the medical room as requested."

"Good. While you're here, I have something else for you," Halstein said, sliding a file across his desk. "I just signed off on a gate clearance for you, SteelArm, and Stiles. An S-rank gate opened recently in Japan. For some reason, the rights to challenge it were handed over to us."

Kiera took the report and skimmed through it, her brow furrowing. "An S-rank…?"

Halstein nodded. "Get moving. The sooner it's cleared, the better."

Without hesitation, Kiera left the office and created a group chat, adding Stiles and SteelArm before dialing them. "We've got an S-rank gate to clear," she said, relaying the details.

Stiles let out a sigh before cutting the call short and heading for the jet. SteelArm, on the other hand, was already fired up—he barely said a word before hanging up and making his way to the aircraft.

Kiera exhaled sharply. She had only tackled four S-rank gates before, and each one had been brutal. Pushing aside her nerves, she exited the building, hailed a ride, and made her way to the airport.

A few days later, Kiera, SteelArm, and Stiles stood before the gate's towering entrance.

"Everything set on both your ends?" Stiles asked, adjusting the strap on his gear.

Kiera and SteelArm exchanged a nod before stepping forward, accompanied by three A-rank healers.

The moment they crossed the gate, the world around them shifted. The cold, metallic hum of the gate vanished, replaced by the sound of waves crashing against a shore. They stood on a pristine beach, golden sand stretching beneath their boots. Towering palm trees swayed in the breeze, and in the distance, a massive structure loomed—dark, foreboding, and utterly out of place.

Stiles took a slow look around. "Did we get any intel on this gate?"

SteelArm spoke up, his tone more serious than usual. "I went through all the documents Halstein gave us. There's nothing. No records, no reports—just the classification: S-rank." He exhaled. "Keep the healers behind us, and stay sharp. We have no idea what we're walking into."

suddenly, with a thunderous crash, monstrous figures erupted from the ocean—towering, crab-like demons with jagged, chitinous armor the color of rusted iron. Their many legs slammed into the sand, leaving deep grooves as their beady black eyes locked onto the intruders. Each creature bore enormous serrated pincers, dripping with seawater and lined with barbed edges sharp enough to shear through steel.

"Shit! Incoming!" Stiles shouted, unsheathing his twin blades.

One of the creatures lunged, its pincer snapping shut where he had stood just a second ago. Stiles twisted midair, landing gracefully before driving his blade into the demon's exposed joint. A sickening crunch echoed as the limb was severed, black ichor spilling onto the sand.

SteelArm slammed his fist onto one creature, killing it, as another beast came for him. He planted his feet, clenched his fists, and met the creature's strike head-on. The force of his punch shattered the demon's claw, sending fragments flying. Without hesitation, he drove his knee into its underbelly, flipping the massive creature onto its back. It flailed wildly, but before it could recover, SteelArm brought both fists down in a brutal overhead smash, caving in its carapace.

Kiera remained still, her eyes scanning the battlefield. More of the creatures emerged, surrounding them in a semi-circle, clicking their claws in eerie unison.

"They're coordinating," she muttered.

One of the demons shot forward, faster than the others. Kiera sidestepped at the last second, its pincer slicing through empty air. In a blur, she drew her staff, its edge glowing with condensed energy. With a single fluid motion, she severed the creature's legs using an electric blade skill, sending it collapsing onto the sand. Before it could screech, she thrust her blade through its skull, silencing it instantly.

The three A-rank healers stood behind them, hands glowing with protective magic, ready to intervene if needed.

"We need to push forward before more of them show up!" Stiles shouted, parrying another claw strike before countering with a deep slash across the demon's face.

SteelArm grinned. "Then let's break through!"

The three of them surged forward, cutting a path through the monstrous horde. The fight had only just begun.

More of the monstrous crab-like demons closed in, their claws clacking in eerie unison, the battlefield grew more chaotic.

"Cover me for one minute!" Kiera shouted, her hands crackling with energy as she began charging a large-scale lightning spell. Sparks danced around her fingers, the air growing heavy with static.

SteelArm and Stiles sprang into action. Stiles weaved between the creatures, his twin blades flashing as he parried their relentless attacks, while SteelArm tore through the horde with brute force. With a guttural roar, he activated [Orc's Rage], a skill he had earned after slaughtering over 300 orcs in a single night.

His muscles bulged, veins pulsing with raw power as his strength and defense skyrocketed. The next demon that lunged at him met a gruesome fate—SteelArm's fist punched straight through its skull, shattering it like brittle glass. He ripped his arm free, ichor splattering across the sand, and immediately crushed another beast's carapace with a devastating hammer blow.

Meanwhile, Stiles shifted from defense to offense. His movements became sharper, deadlier. He danced through the horde, slicing through limbs with terrifying precision. Then, with a deep breath, he activated [Sword's Will]—and vanished.

In the blink of an eye, he reappeared behind the swarm. A gust of wind followed his movement, and a heartbeat later, the heads of every demon in his path tumbled to the ground, their bodies collapsing in a synchronized, gruesome display.

A handful of creatures broke away, rushing toward Kiera. SteelArm and Stiles intercepted them before they could get close, cutting them down with ruthless efficiency. Behind them, the three A-rank healers worked nonstop, reinforcing their team with buffs, rapid healing, and protective barriers to absorb stray attacks.

Then, the storm struck.

Kiera's spell reached completion, and with a deafening crack, lightning tore through the sky. Stiles and SteelArm swiftly retreated to avoid the blast as jagged bolts of electricity rained down in an instant, scorching the sand and leaving behind blackened craters. The raw energy surged through the battlefield, traveling across the sand and latching onto the creatures, paralyzing them in rapid, agonizing intervals.

Kiera wasted no time. She lifted her hands, her eyes glowing with arcane power, and unleashed a barrage of fireballs. Each blazing sphere struck true, exploding on impact and reducing the stunned demons to smoldering husks.

The battlefield fell silent. The once-overwhelming horde had been reduced to lifeless, charred remains scattered across the beach.

Kiera exhaled, lowering her hands. "That should do it… for now."

SteelArm rolled his shoulders, still feeling the rush of [Orc's Rage]. "Damn, that was fun."

Stiles flicked his blades, sending black blood flying off the edges. "Let's not celebrate yet. If this was just the welcoming party… what the hell is waiting inside that building?"

The three of them turned their gazes toward the massive, ominous structure in the distance.

"For an S rank gate, didn't those bastards die a bit to quickly?" Kiera asked the group.

They all continued walking while thinking about it but just shook it off, Kiera sighed slowly and followed behind Stiles and SteelArm.