"Sir!" A man saluted the moment he spotted the commander approaching, flanked by two—no, wait—three four-star officers trailing behind him.
"What's the situation here?" the commander asked as he came closer, his gaze sweeping across the rather disturbing sight spread out before them.
"Reporting, sir." The man straightened his posture before continuing. "My teams and I received orders this morning to hold up all incoming hunters from the west drop point gate, but by the time we arrived, it had already come to this." His gaze remained steady as he looked to the commander, who held several documents in his hand.
"Hm." The commander hummed low in his throat, then turned his attention to the commotion unfolding at the drop point itself—hundreds of hunters fighting against the soldiers, pushing and shoving, all trying to force their way into the territory.
"What about the Marquis?" he asked, returning his focus to the captain who still stood at attention.
"We've made him aware of the situation, sir. He's currently applying to his superiors for permission to shut off all spatial access to this zone."
"I see." The commander nodded slowly, his eyes narrowing as he processed the information. "But what's causing this sudden influx of hunters?" He frowned, clearly troubled by the sheer number of people trying to get through.
"Sir, if I may..." The captain hesitated for just a moment, and the commander nodded once, a silent prompt for him to continue.
"I believe this sudden attraction of hunters isn't just a coincidence." He spoke quietly, but the commander caught every word loud and clear.
"You don't mean..." The commander's eyes widened as he quickly caught the man's implication, the pieces falling into place in his mind.
"I do, sir. And it seems things might be more severe than we think—if what I've guessed is correct." The captain's expression turned solemn, the weight of his words hanging between them.
The commander studied him closely for a long moment before glancing at the two officers behind him. "You two will henceforth assume command of this zone." The officers saluted in perfect unison.
"Sir?" The captain's tone remained neutral, emotionless, but there was a question buried in that single word.
"I see something in you, Captain Moren. We have much to discuss."
The captain saluted sharply. "It would be my pleasure, Commander."
"Sir." The woman flanking the commander's right side spoke up, and he gestured for her to continue with a slight tilt of his head.
"What do we do with the hunters?"
"Hm..." The commander thought for a moment, his eyes drifting back to the chaos at the gate, then looked toward the captain. "I want to hear your opinion."
The captain replied without hesitation, his voice steady and clear. "We can't send them all back—there's a chance of overloading the teleric if we try to force that many people through at once. But..." He paused deliberately, and the commander's lips curved into a grin. It seemed he'd just found a rare gem on what was supposed to be a casual inspection.
"Say it."
The captain nodded once. "Given how unpredictable mystic worlds are, I believe having them serve as... beta testers would benefit us greatly—as well as the nobles who are waiting for confirmed intel."
The commander laughed then, a deep, throaty sound that rolled through the air. It had been too long since he'd encountered someone so unrepentantly ruthless, someone who understood the game they were all playing.
"You heard him. Move them to the Nerai."
They all nodded in understanding. They knew exactly why he'd chosen that place—it was the center of the entire territory, the closest point to the rift itself.
✽✽✽
"Haah." I felt this weird, uncomfortable sensation crawling inside me as I passed through the gate, like someone had taken a sledgehammer and slammed it directly into my skull. Nausea rolled through my gut in waves, but in the span of a single second, it was all over.
I opened my eyes.
"Huh?"
I blinked once.
"WAIT."
I blinked again, harder this time, like maybe my vision was playing tricks on me.
But no matter how many times I blinked, the sight remained exactly the same. A massive crowd of people gathered all around me, hundreds of them, maybe thousands, all packed together in this chaotic mess.
"Was this how it happened?" I thought with a deep frown creasing my forehead.
I don't have direct knowledge of what exactly happened here during this part of the arc. Most of what I know revolves mainly around Jason and the events directly tied to him. I don't have access to other characters' perspectives or side events that don't involve him, so there are gaps in my understanding, things I simply don't know.
"This is a problem," I muttered under my breath, my gaze sweeping across the scene as soldiers forced men into organized lines, practically herding them like cattle. Where the hell are they taking them?
Whoosh!
I heard the sound first, then turned sharply to see that the teleric behind me had just deactivated, the glowing portal fading into nothing.
Hmm.
Something is truly wrong here. This doesn't feel right at all.
"You, get in line." I watched as those ahead of me—people who, like me, had just arrived and had absolutely no idea what was going on—were being shoved and herded forward by armed soldiers.
"No, you can't tell me what to—" The man with a pickaxe gripped in his hands said with a defiant grunt, but before he could even complete his statement—
Shink!
...Oh no.
In a single slash that my eyes couldn't quite follow, couldn't even track properly, his head separated cleanly from his shoulders.
"AHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"WHAT IS HAPPENING?!"
"HELP! GET ME THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"
The whole place broke into immediate panic and people started running in every direction, trampling over each other in their terror and fright.
What the hell is happening right now?
I know I don't know everything about this arc, I'm aware of that, but I should at least know something THIS significant. An event like this doesn't just get glossed over.
Why can't I remember this, though? Why is this completely blank in my memory?
"GET IN LINE OR YOU WILL BE KILLED RIGHT WHERE YOU STAND!" I heard a roar echo across the crowd, and suddenly people who were initially panicking and running around were being cut down on the spot, soldiers cutting through them without hesitation.
Oh god. Oh god, this is bad.
"You. Get in line." A sharp blade landed against my neck, the cold steel pressing into my skin.
Great. Just great. Exactly what I needed right now.