Prologue to Disaster

"I don't trust you!" One man shouted, causing a few others to look at him.

Rin, who had been stretching quietly, turned her head around. She wasn't surprised to hear such a word thrown at her, no, she expected them. Not that anyone could see her expression, of course. Her nano-mask still maintained its function wonderfully.

She stopped exercising and looked carefully at the man that screamed at her. She knew him. She didn't know his name because she never heard it but the figure in front of her was one she was familiar with. It was one of the people she had fought during the raid last month. In other words, it was someone she had attacked and beaten.

"...I know." Rin answered with a troubled expression, before bowing her head slightly. "I'm sorry."

Antagonistic thought against an ally was something to avoid during a dangerous situation. That's why it was better to let out any dissatisfaction before the actual fight. Nothing could be done about the past but a temporary truce was better than bothersome feeling.

As such, Rin apologized in the hope of not worsening the situation. Though, it was the truth that she was genuinely sorry about what she did one month prior.

Thankfully, it had seemed like the man was comprehensive. With a slightly calmed expression, he turned around with only a 'Fine!', conveying to everyone present the words 'we still need your help.'

Rin could only sigh after he left. Frankly speaking, she was a little awed by how easily she was accepted considering they all knew she was from 'unchained'. She was even prepared to fight while also being considered an enemy. All in all, though, she wasn't going to complain about the favorable development.

"..." She looked at the blue sky quietly, recalling the scene Winter had shown her.

She was skeptical about the fact they needed her here but, she knew it wasn't that relevant. Like how she hadn't run away against the first monster she had encountered, she wouldn't run away here.

Which made this the first time she would wield her new power, perhaps not as a Hero, but not as a Villain either. This would be the first time she would fight alongside Elite. And that was...

"Take position!" Lia ordered from the roof of a building.

Everyone present tensed up instantly. Warning rang inside Ark's Hq that they had left a while ago which made them even more restless. The time has come and the change happening in the sky marked the beginning.

"I know saying this might cause you even more strain but," The blue-haired girl continued, conveying her words loudly, "We can't lose here, guys."

The blue sky slowly turned red as the clouds darkened.

"That's why I'm imploring you to give everything you've got so that we may succeed."

It might have seemed ridiculous for a high school girl to take the command, but no one complained.

"So that we may all go home with a smile."

Lia was a member of the Holder Family. And that was enough to acknowledge her. That was enough to trust her.

The sky began to crack and everyone clenched their fist. The crack largened further which embodied the word 'Rift' perfectly.

Lia let out a breath.

Raven quietly looked at the sky.

Rin closed her eyes to concentrate.

Winter was already prepared to fight.

"...Good luck."

And with those words, the biggest 'gate of monster' Talia city, and possibly the entire Gram continent had ever known, opened.

Monster upon monster flocked down from the Rift in the sky as if they had come out from hell itself. Despite the atrocious number, however, the thirty or so Elite charged forward, ready to fight.

Letting out their war cry which, surprisingly, frightened certain weak monsters who let out a shriek. For just an instant the human seemed to have become the Monster—no, they were the hunter.

Blood splattered filling the previously quiet street in a gruesome red color. The Elite having analyzed the entire city beforehand took advantage of the terrain. Leading monsters to ambushes, separating them, or making them step on traps.

The human's technological advantage also contributed greatly. An automatic turret shot at the enemy from everywhere. And, although the bullet had difficulties piercing the skin of the stronger monster, the sheer number was enough to distract them.

As a side note, the turret had already scanned every person fighting the monster beforehand so they didn't attack the human. And even if friendly fire was unavoidable, the Elite's aura easily deflected the bullets.

That is to say, the advantage slowly tilted toward the human. And that is, not accounting for the Elite's individual strength. The battl—no the war itself showed that quality triumph over quantity.

Although few reached Rank II, everyone present was at the peak of Rank III, and if they survived in this mission, they would get promoted instantly. As a reference, that would mean quite a bunch of them were higher than Rin in terms of statistics.

The human's joy was short-lived though when more and more monsters kept pouring out. Moreover, this time, a stronger monster made its appearance. With skin composed of stone, a height surpassing 3m, and an imposing frame, its presence couldn't be ignored by anyone.

Not even by the monster. Wherever it advanced, the small fry monster: goblins, imps, and such would immediately get out of the way in fear. With its two glowing eyes, only the Elite didn't back away.

It was a Golem.

Not long after its apparition, 4 Elites instantly intercepted it, including the man who had shouted at Rin a little earlier, Cole. However, his other three teammates this time were different from the one during the raid. That was because he was the only one strong enough from his previous team allowed to follow Lia outside of Myriad City.

And now was the time to prove his worth.

The golem, having noticed the people approaching, swung its gigantic hand directly above Cole's head. Though, that was exactly what the man had wanted. Using the shield he was carrying, he blocked the attack with all his power, allowing the three others behind him to attack in succession.

From above, from the right, and from the left, the golem was mercilessly butchered. Yet, despite that, the monster didn't flinch and increased the strength of its arm to blow Cole away.

With great difficulty, the man regained his balance but by then the golem had perfectly recovered from its 'injuries'. The other three Elite, judging it wise to not dawdle, resumed their attack in hurry. Unfortunately, it didn't work as well as before. The weapon they used failed in making significant crack on the mass of stone, which took them by surprise.

The golem didn't miss the opportunity. With its hand extended, it turned around itself in great speed, attacking the three Elite at the same time. Fortunately, one man, who was a little stronger, managed to withstand the blow and didn't waste any time going at the monster again.

Cole, on the other hand, stayed in his position and prepared something. Last time, when he was fighting against Rin, he couldn't use it because it took too much time to prepare, but now, it was different. Or at least, he counted on his teammate to buy him time. The golem, who seemed to have forgotten him, also helped.

And thankfully, his singularity activated before the three other Elite got done in. His hand now glowing a vivid red, he advanced with great speed in a straight line. His teammates, having caught on, did their best to open him a path.

With a grateful smile, Cole barely managed to touch the golem's skin. And in the next instant, the singularity of explosion destroyed the monster from inside out, making noise and smoke as well as stone to fill the place.

Nevertheless, when the calm returned (as calm as a battlefield could be) the inanimate and unrecognizable corpse of the golem made the four Elite sigh in relief. To be precise, it couldn't be called a corpse anymore since all the body parts were scattered around. Either way, Cole rejoiced in his small victory.

Which was a mistake.

Stone hands strongly grabbed him and the other three from behind before making them fly above the ground. Then, to their horror, all the stones on the ground began to gather together to reconstruct the golem.

Cole paled at the absurd regenerative ability of the monster as he began to choke from the pressure he was experiencing. He wasn't the only one though, the four-hand that was created without their knowledge pressed the team of Elite stronger and stronger by the seconds.

Nonetheless, no one gave up. Using their Aura to the fullest, the four humans began to struggle their way out with strong determination. Lia Holder had said it 'We can't lose here!'

The stone hands began to crack responding to their will.

However, before any of them could break through, another human hand moved. Pinpointing and destroying one particular stone among the golem's yet incomplete body in one fluid motion.

The hand belonged to Rin and, from just that small action, the golem crumbled down along with the four stone hands. Cole instantly shot a surprised glare at the girl as he regained his balance on the ground.

"...Every monster's weakness is their core," Rin explained, looking at the man with her mask still on. "Destroy it and any regenerative ability they have will disappear."

Cole dumbly stared at the girl for a while before understanding what she had said. However, by that time, the girl already walked away. The man had wanted to say they could have succeeded without her but he refrained. That would be lying after all. At least, he was certain one of them who would have died without her.

Though, he didn't go out of his way to say 'thank you'.

◇

Rin walked slowly along the street, her eyes glued to the sky. She could see the gigantic Rift plastered on it as well as the monster that kept coming out but, surprisingly, she couldn't see anything inside the Rift itself. Only a black, empty void was there, obstructing any further observation.

However, she knew there was something else past that darkness. A whole new world, yet unconquered by humanity. The fact monster couldn't come out of nowhere was already enough proof to justify that claim. Though as to what exactly was present in that other world, she had no clue.

Still, Lia, Raven, and Winter's alertness indicated it wasn't anything good. What's more, since the beginning of the fight, these three didn't move an inch and just stared nervously at the sky.

'Once an Elite reaches a certain level, they become able to perceive other's people's energy.' Rin thought while dealing with any monster she encountered. 'Which mean that...'

Rin stopped moving to catch her breath a little before returning her gaze to the sky.

"...They can see someone or something's energy oozing out of that."

Once she arrived at that conclusion, the whole city became darker. Though, the direct cause wasn't the monster or the Rift, no, it was Raven. From her place, Rin could see the cute little girl with a very panicked expression on her face.

And she didn't need to wait long to know the reason why.

A bright, gigantic mass of power suddenly came out of the Rift, threatening to envelop the whole city. Rin didn't know what it was, but her instinct told her that if it ever touches the ground, the whole city would be wiped out.

Fortunately, Raven's shadow acted to prevent that. In an instant, a massive, black-colored barrier formed itself above the city to protect it. And in the next instant, a loud explosion noise rang out.

Everyone's attention, monster, and human alike were forcefully taken. Though, for the weakest of them, it was their life that was deprived. Raven's shadow barrier was destroyed and, although it succeeded in stopping the mass of energy, the resulting shockwave alone devastated the town.

Glasses broke, cars flyed around, the ground cracked and buildings became unstable. Some monsters were pulled away by the sheer force of the wind and even the elite barely managed to stay on ground. The noise deafened everyone's earing to make it even more difficult to stay in balance.

Of course, Rin wasn't exempt from these consequences. She clawed her two hands on the ground but even then, she was stilled pulled backward, leaving an awful mark on the street road.

It wasn't before a long minute passed that the shockwave subsided. And, just like the day she encountered a monster at her school, Rin felt an unbelievable amount of fear rose inside her.

[Oh~ To think you'd survive that attack] A deep, powerful voice resounded. [It seems this might be more interesting than I expected.]

Then, it came out. A mythological creature known by all, whether it be children or adults. A creature known to be at the apex of all living races. A being even revered as a god in certain legends. A being that shouldn't exist.

Yet it was there, staring down from the high place it was in.

Rin unintentionally took a step back at its sight. 'Can we even win against that?' she wondered while trembling. Sweat made its way down her cheek, and she knew her legs wouldn't be able to support her if she moved even a little more.

This was fear and it devoured not only Rin, but everyone else presents including Lia and the others.

However,

'No need to be afraid.'

A voice talked inside Rin's mind.

'Isn't this what we always wanted?'

Though, the voice wasn't that of someone else. It was Rin's.

'Fighting monster alongside Elite.'

Then, for an instant, for just one single, small instant, Rin's eyes glowed red, and her fear disappeared entirely.