Chapter 27: The Gate of Betrayal
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After the explosion, she returned to reality. She looked around. Everyone's eyes—so confused.
It seemed they all saw it too.
Helen scanned the area, trying to find the gate that the creature had mentioned. When she looked to the right, she saw Sacium and Ryan blocking the entrance.
Ryan: Everyone! Calm down—this might be our chance to escape. We should let the one most worthy go.
The group gathered. Every gaze was glued to the gate, full of longing.
A pure white gate, glowing like moonlight in the desperate darkness. Sacium stood before it, silent like a statue—only his eyes alive, a storm of emotion suppressed too long. Ryan stood before him, as if guarding the gate from anyone's approach.
Aaron (voice sharp, fists clenched): If only one can go, it should be me! I'm the strongest here—there's no debate!
Jesse (coolly, eyes flicking to Ryan): Keep playing hero, Ryan. But don't forget—heroes die too.
Rose (squinting, arms crossed, leaning on a wall): What are we waiting for? Permission from the holy saint over there?
Charlie (shivering, holding his head): No… no, this isn't right… we're a team…
Andrew (pointing, face red): And what about him!? (glares at Sacium) He disappeared and now returns like everything's fine. Why should it be him!?
David (muttering, eyes dark): If it weren't for Sacium… that chance would be mine…
Bernie (stepping forward, eyes burning): I deserve it more than any of you! I'm not dying here!
Aiden (sitting, voice cracking): ...We're falling apart…
Helen (hiding behind a pillar, voice barely a whisper): ...Please… don't do this…
Linus (hoarse, eyes red): Sacium wouldn't want this… We're tearing each other apart over a sliver of hope.
Jesse (softly, yet like lighting a fuse): The gate doesn't wait for kindness… it waits for someone willing to step through.
Ryan (arms folded, voice heavy like a mountain): No one passes. Not unless they're ready to bear everything… for all of us.
A breathless silence.
Then—Sacium slowly turned around. One step back. A single step into the light.
He vanished into the soft glow. No echo. No real goodbye.
Ryan (eyes wide, voice shattering): SACIUM—!!
Everyone froze. Like statues. In the haze of shock, no one noticed—no one saw anything clearly.
Only Helen, from the shadows, stood frozen…
"Was he crying…?"
She clutched her shirt tightly, saying nothing, eyes fixed on the place where the light had faded. A strange pain bloomed in her chest. Deeper than sorrow… something none of them truly understood.
Ryan collapsed. Helen felt it, maybe more than the others.
She and Ryan had always seen Sacium as a symbol—but now that symbol had betrayed them.
Aaron stepped up, claiming leadership with brute strength. Ryan, still in shock, was unable to respond.
Now, Aaron led, but Ryan had to give directions.
Suddenly—without warning, without a single sign of noclip—
The group simply fell. Through clouds. As if an event had triggered and forcibly removed them.
Unlucky.
They landed in a new area Ryan had always warned was dangerous.
But Aaron, unlike Ryan, lacked agility. No plan in time.
They crashed hard—yet the ground was… soft. Like rotten meat.
Helen gagged, glancing over the bizarre cavern: massive tunnels, fleshy tendrils blanketing ceilings, floors, and walls. Scattered around were alien eggs, each at least 1.5 meters tall. Clusters of eggs clung to central columns in the larger caves. A pale green mist hung in the air, sickening and thick.
—Level: Nest—
Helen pushed herself up and ran to Ryan.
Helen: Hey! Are you okay?
Ryan: I'm fine…
Slosh.
Wet, squishy sounds echoed—the eggs cracked.
Rows of entities emerged: Entity 6, 4, 8, 10, and more.
Aaron stuttered in panic.
Aaron: E-everyone! Battle stance—now!
They fought.
One hour. Two. Three.
Everyone was exhausted—but Aaron had no idea what to do. He ordered a retreat while fighting.
They fought for their lives—only to realize something horrific:
Each time they killed, each time something died…
The entities grew stronger.
Despair spread. Fatigue seeped into every limb.
They now hid behind Linus, drained, injured, in pain.
Bang. Bang. Bang!
The sound of claws and bodies smashing against the barrier drove them mad.
BOOM!
Linus collapsed—shrinking in exhaustion.
The monsters turned toward them.
BOOM!
From above, a shadow plunged down like a meteor—
The ground shook violently as he landed.
Mist exploded outward in a blast wave, whirling into a storm among the flesh.
Standing before them—
A warrior clad in iron armor from head to toe, at least 2.15 meters tall. His armor was rugged and battered, as if he had fought through hell itself.
A red ponytail flared behind his helmet like a war banner.
He gripped a massive sword with both hands—almost as long as he was tall, exuding the cold weight of death itself.
???: STAND BACK, WORMS!—His voice thundered like a god descending from the sky.
One step forward. One horizontal slash.
Just one strike—too fast to follow.
The sword screamed through the air like hell's own howl, cleaving through entities as if they were wet clay.
Black blood and gore flew, monsters shredded, crushed, annihilated without mercy.
As the storm of blood cleared, the warrior turned.
Behind the closed helm—two eyes, or perhaps just endless black voids, stared at them.
No emotion.
No words.
Only silence.
Like death itself… watching.
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