SSS Frost Sovereign: Rewinding The Apocalypse!-Chapter 66: Enter the green gate!

It was like a chaotic space, confined within the frame of a small building.

The rift glowed bright green, pulsing with energy from deep within.

Unlike the gate Thalrien had ushered in with a brief warning and deliberate opening, this one had appeared elsewhere in the vicinity without any introduction or preparation.

Many hours had passed, and it was now night.

Most people watched from a distance in uneasy awe, unsettled by the eerie glow radiating from the gate.

Meanwhile, the incarnations who had long expected this gate gathered slowly before it.

Maxwell stood some distance away from the rift, surrounded by officials and guards, far enough that the pressure of the gate did not weigh on them directly.

From where he stood, he could still see the green glow flickering through the broken silhouettes of ruined buildings in that part of the city.

Even though he had anticipated it, the timing still felt abrupt.

"I wish we had more time to strategize. But then, not only do the celestial events not wait, even our incarnations do not," Maxwell muttered.

He scratched the back of his head.

"What did you say would happen if we do not clear the gate in time?" Maxwell asked.

Gremit, the large porcupine Erwald, shifted his weight, the quills along his back bristling faintly.

"In some cases, spawns may spill out after some time. In other cases, the rift may expand and engulf the vicinity," he replied.

"Damn it," Ross muttered tensely.

Maxwell forced a thin smile.

"I see. To be on the safer side, we must clear the gate as soon as possible."

The mayor’s appointed officials stood in silence, the gravity of the situation settling heavily over them.

Just then, Albert stepped forward, Luna and several other assigned members of his unit following close behind him.

"Too bad Marcus will not be joining us this time," Gremit muttered as Albert moved ahead and stopped before them, his gaze fixed on the gate.

His posture was firm, his right hand resting over his left wrist as he stood at attention.

"His injuries were nearly fatal. He will not be able to face the spawns in this gate."

Maxwell exhaled slowly at Gremit’s words.

His eyes settled on Albert’s back as the man stood before the rift.

Just as he always had, Albert placed himself between the danger and the people behind him.

Maxwell had seen that same back countless times since his days in the special unit. Years had passed, but that presence had never changed.

"Marcus needs his rest," Albert said. "We will manage without him this time."

Then he took the first steps forward.

His resolve cut through the tension around them. It was steady, unshaken, and it stirred something in those who stood behind him.

The doubts that lingered in Maxwell and the rest of the panel eased as they moved to follow, their pace firm as they escorted Albert toward the gate.

Meanwhile, Redd had already arrived, standing with Leo and Tye among the other raid parties gathered before the rift.

Liam had arrived as well.

His large raid party clustered around him, most of them lightly dressed women, with fewer men among them.

Mr Dane stood near the front, cracking his knuckles quietly as he stared at the green gate with calm focus. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Liam waited, his gaze drifting through the gathered crowd.

From time to time, his eyes settled on Zayne, who stood not far behind Redd with Regel perched on his shoulder.

Redd scanned the crowd again for what felt like the umpteenth time.

Still no sign of Icard.

His brows drew together slightly, a faint crease forming as unease stirred behind his usual smirk.

Just then, movement stirred from behind.

More people had just arrived.

Redd glanced back, and there they were, just stepping into view.

Icard walked at the front of the small group, dressed in a blue sweater and loose black trousers, simple but neat.

Reya followed in military camo trousers and a black sleeveless jacket, her posture sharp and alert.

Matt and Eric came behind them in plain clothes suited for moving fast.

Alia came last, wearing a thick utility jacket with a loose inner pocket sewn into the chest.

The snow cat was lodged comfortably inside it, only his head poking out, eyes half-lidded as though he was given something he couldn’t refuse.

Although he had tried to resist, Katar had been dragged along this time.

Since he hated being swallowed by crowds, they had settled on letting Alia carry him.

Katar wore a thoroughly wry expression. He did not like this arrangement in the slightest.

Redd let out a quiet laugh, while Leo and Tye glanced back as well, faint smiles on their faces.

"I thought they weren’t coming again," he muttered.

Icard stopped a short distance behind Redd and Zayne.

Zayne only spared Icard’s group a brief glance before turning his attention forward again.

Icard’s gaze was fixed on the gate ahead of them.

A familiar gate.

The green gate.

Memories stirred in his mind.

In his first turn, the world beyond a gate like this had been very different from his first experience.

Back then, it was later known as the Verdant Catacombs of Thryx, and it had been a nightmare to clear, even when everyone knew better, that a green gate was never simple.

Albert had shared parts of the plan with them earlier.

If they moved into the gates properly organized, their raid party system would be invaluable.

With more time, they would have assigned even more refined roles to the different grades of raid parties, since they already had a rough idea of the kind of environments these gates tended to hold, and a rough evaluation of these raid parties.

From the hurried analysis carried out by those working under Albert, spawn grades and operational zones within the gate could already be allocated to specific groups.

Raid parties, identified by their lead incarnations and Erwalds, had been graded based on past gate runs and raids, and those grades would continue to shift with performance.

This was the system later fully adopted for their vicinity.

The system that graded incarnations and raid parties, which would soon be a continually popular topic in coming times.

All of this was obvious to Icard from his previous turn.

Since they had agreed to cooperate, the Erwalds had little choice but to allow their incarnations to be deployed according to their capacities.

The gate pulsed again, its surface rippling faintly, like the slow, steady throb of a massive living heart.

Albert brushed past the crowd, moving to the very front with three of his men, Luna among them.

"I wish you all the best of luck!" Maxwell called from behind.

By then, the air had tightened. People squared their shoulders, hands flexing, minds bracing.

Albert stopped before the gate and stood there for a brief moment. Then he glanced back over his shoulder at those gathered behind him.

"Prepare yourselves," he said evenly.

He turned back to the gate, took a single step forward, with those behind him ready to follow, and then vanished into the green light.