Chapter 250: Calm Before The Storm

Damian’s voice cut through the rain and distant screaming, calm despite everything, giving his team something stable to anchor to.

Edrin’s head turned, his glasses reflecting lightning, his voice emerging thoughtful rather than panicked.

"Why would President Eleanor throw that cube to open a portal and send us all here?"

"..."

Silence fell across their immediate area.

But the question carried further than Edrin intended, cutting through panic with its stark rationality, making nearby students pause and actually think rather than just react emotionally.

Even the Imperials turned to listen – Cassius, Sophia, David, Ben, Raymond, Alexander, Jonathan – all of them drawn by a question that demanded answers rather than just venting fear.

Edrin continued, his tactical skill running scenarios, discarding impossibilities, arriving at conclusions through pure logic.

"She’s a legend of our race. Has fought Monsters since the very beginning. Survived the initial invasions when humanity was weakest. Her entire life has been dedicated to protecting students, nurturing the next generation."

His voice became harder, more certain.

"It doesn’t make sense for her to betray us. And she doesn’t have any immediate family that can be used to threaten her into doing this. So... clearly she was controlled. Possessed by something that overrode her will."

Raymond Kingsley, cut in with obvious irritation.

"It doesn’t matter why that old bitch sent us here, four-eyes! We’re already here! Analyzing her motivations won’t get us home!"

Edrin didn’t even look at him, his focus entirely internal as his mind worked through implications.

"If she was really controlled, think about what she did. She called every escort closer to her – every S rank and A rank awakener. Like she had something planned specifically for them."

His voice dropped lower, carrying terrible certainty.

"She probably attacked them after sending us through."

"..."

Students nearby went pale, the implications sinking in.

Most of their family members and friends were still at the stadium.

"And the main worry," Edrin continued relentlessly, "is what grade this portal actually is. Look around – feel the density of ambient Aura. This doesn’t feel like a B grade portal. The pressure alone suggests something higher."

He turned to face the assembled Imperials and nearby Nobles directly.

"Think about the strategy. Elizabeth Murdock was disqualified from the tournament – an A- rank awakener who could have provided significant combat capability and leadership. If I was the mastermind controlling Eleanor, I’d remove all major threats beforehand."

His voice became almost clinical in its detachment.

"Send us all here at our current ranks, making sure we can’t effectively resist whatever’s waiting. Secure the portal so Monsters can establish it as an invasion route into our world. Eliminate some of humanity’s next generation in one calculated strike."

"..."

The silence that followed was absolute.

Even the rain seemed to quiet, the thunder distant, everyone processing Edrin’s analysis and finding no flaws in the logic.

It was David Evergreen who broke the silence, his voice carrying frustration.

"You’re overthinking this. Elizabeth was disqualified because of the Cross family requesting it. Nothing to do with portals or invasions. Just politics as usual."

"..."

The moment the words left his mouth, David realized his mistake.

Everyone was looking at him.

Every student within hearing distance – Noble and commoner alike – staring at the casual admission of corruption.

The Murdock family’s daughter, arguably the strongest student competitor, was removed from competition not because of rules or fairness but because another Imperial family made a request.

The atmosphere shifted, becoming tense in ways that had nothing to do with the hostile dimension around them.

Before anyone could respond, Cassius Eckhart stepped forward.

His black hair and grey eyes caught lightning as he looked directly at Damian.

"Junior."

The word was respectful, acknowledging Damian’s prior experience in a hostile portal.

"You’ve survived a portal before. What do you think about our chances?"

But Damian wasn’t looking at Cassius.

His crimson eyes were staring into the fog alongside Lysa, both of them utterly still, their attention focused on something nobody else could detect.

Nobles started trash-talking immediately, their fear making them aggressive and their pride wounded by being ignored.

"Typical commoner behaviour!"

"Too scared to admit–"

"Should have stayed in his–"

"SHUT UP!"

Cassius’s voice cracked like a whip.

The other Imperials wore serious faces.

Gone was the arrogance, pride and concern for politics.

Just survival instinct from people who’d been trained since birth to recognize when situations were life-or-death.

Cassius turned back to Damian, his voice becoming more pragmatic.

"Look. I won’t pretend we like you or your friend over there–"

He gestured toward Zavier, who just shrugged in response.

"–but I don’t plan on dying inside a bloody portal. So let’s put aside our differences and work together to–"

Damian’s hand moved and his gun appeared.

His Aura flared – forming instantly into bullets and he fired.

BAM BAM BAM

Time seemed to slow.

Nobles reacted on pure instinct, their Auras exploding outward in defensive formations, barriers forming to protect themselves and the Imperials from the surprise attack.

But the dark crimson Aura bullets curved.

Shifted trajectory mid-flight, bending around Cassius’s position with precision.

They struck three points in the fog directly behind where Cassius had been standing.

SHRIEK! SHRIEK! SHRIEK!

The sounds were wrong – not animal or human, but something that hurt ears to process, like feedback with nails on chalkboard.

Thud Thud Thud

The sound of three creatures collapsing came from the fog, their bodies hitting mud with wet thuds, Damian’s Aura having pierced straight through whatever natural armor they possessed.

"..."

Absolute silence spread across the area as everyone processed what had just happened.

Then Lysa’s voice cut through – cold, focused and carrying none of her earlier panic.

"More are coming. Get ready if you don’t want to die."

Her eyes had glazed slightly, her entire focus directed inward as her innate sensory skill activated at full power, Aura flowing to enhance range and precision.

She could feel vibrations through the mud, detect minute air currents displaced by moving bodies, sense thermal signatures through the fog that her eyes couldn’t penetrate.

And what she sensed made her blood run cold.

"Northeast, thirty meters. Eight signatures, D rank."

Her voice remained clinical and detached, becoming a pure information source rather than a person.

"Southeast, twenty meters. Twelve signatures, moving fast."

"West, forty meters. Too many to count individually."

"South–"

Her breath caught.

"South, everywhere! Hundreds! All converging on our position!"