Chapter 319: An assembly, and the protector
As Kyle was escorted by Jimmy toward an exit he could use without being caught or punished later, he noticed an unusual uproar throughout the city.
The difference from when he had arrived earlier that morning was impossible to miss. Back then, the streets had been orderly, with patrolling soldiers maintaining a disciplined pace. Now, those same soldiers were rushing from one place to another, their movements betraying a sense of urgency.
"An emergency situation has come up. I’ve been asked to respond as well," Jimmy informed him, as though he had read the question forming in Kyle’s mind.
The car continued at a steady pace, taking them toward an unknown destination, until Kyle finally asked, "What emergency?"
Jimmy shook his head. "I’m unsure of the details, but it is related to the other side."
Kyle shuddered.
"I remember hearing that not once in fifty years has a rift appeared anywhere near the island."
Jimmy merely grinned, offering no response.
Kyle frowned before asking, "Is Arthur going to address this situation, considering he’s on the island too?"
Since Jimmy, the second-in-command of the Alpha Team, had been summoned, Kyle could roughly gauge the severity of the situation. Arthur was possibly the strongest warrior on the island, so Kyle wondered whether he would be mobilized as well.
However, Jimmy’s answer caught him off guard.
"Arthur actually left the island in a hurry about half an hour ago. No information, no explanation. He just up and vanished."
Kyle stared at him. "Does he behave like this?"
Jimmy shook his head.
"Arthur is one of the laziest people I’ve ever known. He’d rather dispatch a hundred people to risk their lives than handle a matter himself. And his authority allows him to be as laid-back as he wants."
His eyes sharpened for the briefest moment before he continued in a quieter voice.
"That’s why I’m surprised myself. Whatever happened, it must have been important enough to make him leave in such a hurry."
Kyle didn’t press the matter any further.
A few minutes later, the car came to a stop.
"Come," Jimmy said.
They stepped outside, where a small spacecraft was already waiting for them.
"It’ll take you to Montclair, somewhere on the outskirts. I hope you can find your way from there."
Kyle nodded. "Once I’m in Montclair, I can reach my destination with my eyes closed."
He raised a hand, and Jimmy clasped it firmly.
"I hope this risk is worth it for you, cadet."
Kyle gave him a sheepish smile.
’I hope so too.’
He tried calling Amanda from inside the car, but she didn’t answer. The silence left him both nervous and relieved. Nervous because he had no idea what was happening, yet relieved that he had managed to make this decision early and acting upon it.
Soon, the two men parted ways, and Kyle boarded the spacecraft.
....
Arthur was on the move.
His eyes glowed faintly as his figure blurred past unsuspecting passersby, moving with a speed that made him nearly impossible to follow.
He was heading toward a place he had never been to before.
There had been no explanation, no context. Only a directive from a voice he dared not refuse.
And when that voice had spoken, his body had simply obeyed.
He had been ordered to protect a certain being.
A whisper in his ears. A single command.
That was all it had taken for his entire focus to narrow toward one purpose: obey.
He hadn’t informed his subordinates. He hadn’t even bothered to explain his sudden departure. Now, he found himself in Montclair, tearing through an unfamiliar street while relying solely on the certainty that the one he had been ordered to protect was somewhere ahead.
He didn’t know who they were.
He only knew they were there.
"There is something disturbing."
Arthur’s expression hardened as he drew closer to the location.
Something had changed.
An ominous presence was approaching the very place he had been commanded to guard. Its intentions were unmistakable, carrying a sense of impending disaster that sent a chill through his instincts.
Arthur’s eyes narrowed.
Genesis surged through every vein in his body.
The air around him seemed to distort as his figure vanished from the street.
Then, with his speed breaking the sound barrier, Arthur arrived at the designated location moments before disaster struck.
"Haa..." Arthur frowned as he heard the voice, his gaze settling on the monstrosity standing before him.
"And now, another uninvited obstacle," the being said in flawless human language, despite looking anything but human.
Arthur felt something deeply unsettling in his surroundings.
Absence.
It was so potent that it seemed capable of suppressing his very presence, wrapping around him like invisible chains.
Arthur merely snickered.
The moment those unseen restraints attempted to tighten around him, Genesis surged through his body. The chains shattered before they could bind him.
The blond-haired boy with tentacles frowned.
"So... you’re like one of them, huh?"
Arthur had no idea what he meant, nor did he particularly care.
He crossed his arms and stared at the abomination with an indifferent expression.
"Turn around and walk away."
His eyes narrowed.
"I won’t repeat myself."
The monster was evidently hesitant now, its earlier confidence replaced by caution. The failure of its primary plan to restrain Arthur had clearly shaken it.
Arthur had no intention of initiating a battle if the creature was willing to leave. Nothing mattered more to him than the safety of the one inside the house.
He had already forsaken his role as a Nightwalker.
At this moment, there was only one thing that mattered.
His Lord’s Command.
Then,
Thunk.
Thunk.
Two men landed on either side of the creature, each radiating a presence unlike anything Arthur had ever encountered.
"You can’t do anything properly, can you?" one of them asked with a grin as he cracked his neck, his words visibly irritating the monster.
"It appears I need your help this time, after all," the wielder of Absence replied.
He stepped back, allowing the other two to move forward.
Arthur’s eyes narrowed.
This was bad.
He could tell from their presence alone that this would not be an easy battle. Whatever these two were, they possessed a strength that demanded his full attention.
His fists tightened.
’I can’t fail my Lord.’
But the truth was...
....
Far beyond the reach of mortals, a gathering of the higher gods was being convened.
The seven seats of the Round Hall were occupied only twice a year. Yet this time, an unscheduled assembly had been called at the demand of a being none of them could afford to refuse.
"Promise me you’ll handle this calmly," Artemis said, standing beyond the ring of flames surrounding the seats of the honored gods.
Freya nodded.
"I will. I understand the severity of the matter, and I know I must keep my composure during the argument."
Tyr’s expression remained stern.
"Whatever happens, keep Ares under control. I have a feeling this entire situation spiraled out of control because of his interference."
Artemis’s eyes sharpened hearing that name.
Freya’s expression darkened as she growled, "There is no doubt about it. And I suspect there are a few others supporting his actions."
Her hands clenched at her sides.
"But don’t worry. I will make every one of them confess."
Her voice carried a cold determination.
"And they will be punished for what they put our Kyle through."
Artemis nodded.
"You have to. Things have spiraled far beyond our control, all because of a few foolish heads."
Tyr’s expression hardened.
"Just make sure they don’t impose restrictions on you, or on us, that would completely sever our connection with Kyle."
Freya snickered.
"They can try."
Her eyes gleamed with quiet confidence.
"This isn’t a negotiation. It’s a trial. That beast has nothing but horse dung between his ears if he truly believes he has succeeded."
A distant bell rang through the Round Hall.
The time had come.
Freya was the only one among the three who held a seat within the hall, which meant she could no longer delay her departure.
She turned toward the blazing ring of fire.
It was time to deal with a few fish-brained fools.
.....
"The aircraft has already entered the city," the captain informed him.
They were now approaching a location where they could land without causing a commotion.
Kyle had tried contacting Amanda and Melissa several times, but neither of them had answered.
He then tried Veronica, who had also left in a hurry earlier.
Again, there was no response.
Kyle’s unease grew with every unanswered call.
Then, just as his worry was beginning to turn into panic, his phone buzzed.
Amanda.
He answered immediately.
"Hello, Amanda? Where are you? Amanda?"
His eyes widened.
A faint, broken sniffle came from the other end.
Then her trembling voice reached him.
{Kyle... please... save me...}
°°°°°°°
A/N:- Once this arc is over, I will tell you why I uploaded only one Chapter every day. But for now, thanks for reading.