Chapter 238: The Gate to Earth

The rumble of the train wheels echoed through the tunnel. Lights mounted along the walls flashed past the windows before disappearing into the darkness. The train sped toward the next station at full speed.

An elderly woman sat quietly in the last row. She said nothing. Her eyes remained fixed on the window, occasionally drifting toward the brown paper bag resting on her lap. Several groceries filled the bag.

"Hey, that’s mine!"

The woman’s attention shifted when she heard a boy beside her. A young student in a school uniform reached for a red balloon held by a much taller boy. The boy in the red shirt stuck out his tongue and raised the balloon higher.

"Come on, shorty. You can’t reach it."

"Ugh, I’m not a shorty." The smaller boy crossed his arms and puffed out his cheeks. "One day, I’ll grow much taller than you."

The boy in the brown shirt simply laughed before both boys ran back toward the front of the train, leaving the elderly woman alone. Their playful antics brought a faint smile to her face. They reminded her of her beloved grandson. She hadn’t heard from him for almost a month.

Ever since he became a Daemonist and got caught up in the incident involving the portal that appeared in Riverglace, no one had heard from him.

Prometheon Tech and the mayor of Riverglace had taken responsibility for finding him and the two other missing children. Yet after nearly a month, they still had no clear leads. Everything remained uncertain.

"I just don’t want to lose anyone else." The old woman clutched her shopping bag tightly. Tears welled up in her eyes. "God, please... Let me hear something from him—’

The lights inside the train suddenly began to flicker, causing the elderly woman to fall silent. At first, no one paid any attention to it, and everyone on the train seemed busy with their own affairs. However, the lights flickered again and kept flickering until everyone on the train began to sense that something was strange.

"Huh? What’s going on?"A young woman sitting near the front suddenly tapped her phone screen several times.

"W-Why did my phone suddenly lose its signal?"

Her words immediately prompted everyone in the train car to pull out their phones. Tension spread across their faces when they realized their signals had disappeared.

’KREEEAK!’

The train came to an abrupt stop, sending a violent jolt through the entire car. Everyone began to lose their balance. Fortunately, the elderly woman quickly grabbed the metal handrail in front of her. Instantly, the atmosphere inside turned chaotic.

"Attention... We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience."

The announcement echoed through the speakers.

’There appears to be an obstruction on the tracks ahead. Our staff will inspect the problem shortly. Please remain calm. Thank you."

After the announcement stopped, the situation hadn’t changed at all. Everything still felt chaotic. One man even tried to force his way out of the train. Several railway staff members rushed over and stopped him before he could open the door.

"Everyone, please cooperate with us—"

A strange tremor suddenly ran through the tunnel. Then another. The shaking grew stronger with each passing second. All the lights went out simultaneously. Darkness swallowed the train. Children screamed and cried throughout the car, filling the corridor with terrified voices.

"Please calm down." One of the staff members raised his flashlight and swept the beam across the darkened car. "We can’t inspect the problem properly if everyone—"

The staff member’s attention shifted when a mysterious light appeared not far ahead of the train. The mysterious red light seemed to grow larger and larger. He slowly walked toward the front window to get a clearer view.

"Wait, this is..."

His body froze. The flashlight slipped from his hand and hit the floor as a pair of glowing red eyes emerged from inside the portal. Shortly afterward, a terrifying figure began crawling out from behind the portal.

"Oh... No." The officer swallowed hard. "T-this can’t be."

***

One dark creature after another emerged from the portal. The Resistance leader stood before the gateway, laughing like a madman. Damn it. It turned out he really had been planning this insane scheme.

"Very soon, darkness will take over everything!"

’I have to do something.’ Shaan clenched his fists tightly. His eyes fixed intently on the resistance leader. ’I have to stop this insane plan, no matter what.’

With all the strength he had left, Shaan tried to stand up. He slowly walked toward the black box, trying to grab the key attached to it while the resistance leader’s attention was momentarily distracted.

’I have to do this. I must!’

Shaan bit his lip, trying to endure the pain that grew more intense with every step he took. He kept ignoring the pain and forced his body to keep moving until he was just a few steps away from the box.

’I can do this. I’m going to—’

Just as Shaan reached for the key, a mysterious attack suddenly appeared and struck him. Shaan’s body was violently thrown out of the portal room, immediately smashing several statues at once.

"Ugh... d-damn it." Shaan wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "W-What the hell was that...?"

Shaan’s face went pale. His eyes widened when he saw that the tall man he’d previously fought had managed to escape his trap with ease. He’d been quite confident the trap would hold him back longer.

’Ho-How did he—?’

"F*ck! F*ck you!" His entire body was covered in wounds. He clenched his fists tightly. "I swear I’ll kill you. No matter what it takes!"

The man’s entire body was instantly covered in a dark purple light. He then placed one hand on the ground, and in the blink of an eye, the symbol for his summoning spell emerged.

’Oh, sh*t.’

An astral creature slowly emerged from behind the spell symbol. Its body was massive and made of a cluster of shiny black stones. Crimson eyes burned within its monstrous face, while dark purple energy surrounded its entire body. Its overwhelming presence filled the chamber with an intense sense of dread.

[Holy Shish...] Robin Hood fell silent. His eyes slowly traveled upward. [Jeez, this creature is actually bigger than me.]

"Damn." Shaan bit his lip, his expression tightening. "We need to get rid of this giant monster, but..." He glanced up at the towering creature. "How the hell are we supposed to do that?"

[Hey, calm down.] Robin Hood drew his bow and flashed a confident smile. [As long as I’m here, we’ll definitely take this giant monster down.]

The tall man pointed at Shaan with a sinister grin. "Golem." His finger remained fixed on Shaan. "Destroy them. Now!"