?Elder Han looked up at the bright sky with a gloomy expression. The land surrounding him was desolate, and the air was hot. Beads of sweat dripped down his forehead and soaked his clothes.
A faint growl emanated from his stomach, and he glanced over at the numerous tents scattered around him. In the midst of the tents, the other Array masters were gathered, enjoying their meals and discussing a new Array they had recently discovered.
He let out a sigh and waved his hand dismissively when one of the Array masters offered him to join them.
"Not right now. I'm keeping an eye on the realm gate. Recently, I felt some sort of movements in the air."
The Array master left him alone, but in the distance, he scoffed. None of them had sensed anything from the realm gate, so how could he?
If Elder Han noticed the Array master's displeasure, he didn't say anything. His gaze shifted towards the realm gate. It was heavily guarded by strong soldiers from Kingdom Soltecia, stationed both in front of the gate and around the tents. They kept a close watch on those who stayed behind from the other Continents and Kingdoms, prepared to welcome back any survivors.
With a sigh, he jumped down from the rocky bed where he had been sitting for a few hours.
"The situation back in the Kingdom isn't good. I want to leave, but I know with all the strong individuals busy, I need to stay here."
"I have firsthand knowledge that both the Central Continent and West Continent have been watching from the sidelines. They won't offer assistance until the East Continent weakens. Ultimately, when the Continent is on the brink of collapse, they'll present their demands. Also, something's wrong with King Istalian. The last time I saw him, he was talking to his shadow. But as soon as he noticed me, he quickly changed the subject."
He thought about Kyle, and a solemn expression appeared on his face.
"I hope he and the little phoenix make it out alive. Otherwise, who is going to pay the money? After all, I'm just an old poor man."
As he headed towards the Kingdom Escalante tent, a couple of muscular guards welcomed him with polite expressions.
But just as he was about to step inside and call it a day, the ground beneath him rumbled with a deafening roar.
Elder Han's eyes widened, and he quickly whipped his head around. Everyone in front of the realm gate abandoned their tents and gathered around, their eyes fixed on the gate as it began to tremble. Dark wisps of smoke curled out from the gate, and the air crackled with electricity.
The crowd held their breath in anticipation, knowing that the realm gate was about to open.
However, to their surprise, after a minute, everything fell eerily silent once again.
"Huh, what's going on?!"
Someone shouted from the crowd. And in no time, the air was filled with a chorus of worried voices.
The Array masters panicked, they instantly surveyed the symbols drawn around the gate to check if something was wrong with them.
Elder Han's figure flashed, and he appeared in front of the gate. He roughly pushed back an old man and hurriedly examined the symbols, but his expression hardened when he found nothing amiss.
He massaged his aching temples and stared at the gate.
"What the hell is going on?"
Suddenly, a wave of dread washed over him. Just like him, the faces of the people around the realm gate darkened.
Amidst the chaotic atmosphere, an elderly man from the West Continent spoke up.
"Don't tell me... no one made it out alive?"
His words landed like a lightning bolt, and once again, the air grew silent. But no one dared to believe his words. They knew the realm was dangerous, but how could not a single person have survived?
.....
At the same time, without realizing the panic he had caused outside, Ris couldn't help but let out a silent snarl.
"One, two, three...? I know my memory has problems, but how the hell am I supposed to inject mana into this thing?"
He muttered, tapping the large platform engraved with countless symbols with his tail in frustration.
Haylee growled irritably and pushed him back.
"Stop! Just stop! Don't touch anything! The gate will open on its own! Damn it, where is the guardian? This lizard is driving me crazy!"
Ris clicked his tongue and reluctantly stepped back. He glanced at the numerous figures soaring through the sky.
"You're shouting at me as if I stepped on your tail. Let's go. We need to say goodbye to the kiddos. Who knows when we'll see them again."
Haylee snorted but followed him nonetheless. The duo flew across the sky and, after a minute, they spotted the illusionary old man.
The old man gazed at the many individuals floating mid-air, and a smile spread across his face.
Almost everyone who had survived in the realm had reached an impressive rank, not to mention the group of kids he had been keeping an eye on. They had exceeded his expectations.
'Especially the ones with the divine artifacts.'
He chuckled and raised his voice, causing a thunderous announcement to echo throughout the realm.
"Get ready, kids. It's time to leave."
In the distance, Nine looked around at the numerous treasure islands with a reluctant and sad expression. He flew across the sky, deliberately emanating his powerful (S+)-Rank aura.
"I've reached the limits of my talent, otherwise I would have been the strongest to come out of this realm."
A snort sounded behind him. He turned around and raised an eyebrow at Sinon, the winged demi-human floating behind him.
"Haha, don't tell me you want a one-on-one. Remember, you're just a tad weaker than me."
Sinon clicked his tongue and cracked his knuckles with an evil smile.
"We're the same rank, so stop or else you'll regret it."
Nine shut his mouth with a loud click. Soon, more and more familiar faces, along with a few unfamiliar ones, appeared around them.
He frowned when he noticed that a few faces were missing from the crowd.
"Hey, where are Jian, Carcel, Alec, and even Kyle? They're not here."
Sinon's expression turned blank as he let out a sigh.
"Last I remember, the trio went to test their strength against someone named Guil. Jian mentioned they were going to beat him. I don't know who this unlucky person is, but I hope he doesn't suffer too much. As for Kyle, I have no idea."
Nine blinked and after a few seconds, let out a trembling laugh.
"Are you kidding me? They went to beat Guil!?"
Lara and Mia appeared behind him, exchanging glances. Mia tapped his shoulder.
"Yeah, Carcel told me the same thing. Who is this Guil anyway?"
Nine's expression turned pale. He crossed his legs mid-air and waved his hand towards everyone floating around him.
"He's someone who could crush us with just a finger. So, let's hope the trio comes back alive."
Everyone around him started laughing, thinking he was joking. But seeing his serious expression, they fell silent.
Kelvin immediately let out a worried sigh.
"Wait, I'll try contacting Jian."
Yet, no matter how much he tried to send signals, the red-
haired man ignored him. Kelvin stared at the communication device with wide eyes, recalling that the last time he contacted Jian, the latter said he would do the same and ignore him.
"He's getting back at me even though I told him I couldn't share my location because I was stuck in a dangerous place!"
In the end, they all got together and started waiting for the old man to open the exit to the realm.
The old man appeared in front of the crowd, his gaze shifting between the floating people and those standing on the ground. His voice, filled with serenity, echoed in all directions.
"Fear not, all the living outsiders in this realm will be teleported out as soon as the exit opens."
