Free Web NovelChapter 262: Dimensional Break (Bonus)
At exactly six that evening, Ethan and Hayley arrived at the DSB.
The building was tall and had very tight security. They were guided through hallways, past different sealed doors and silent staff, before being directed to an elevator. freeωebnovēl.c૦m
The ride up was short but smooth, and when the doors opened, they were led directly into a meeting room.
There was round table at the center, large enough to seat a dozen comfortably. The walls were clean and bare except for a single embedded display panel at the far end, currently dark.
And around the table, were awakened persons. Nine of them, already seated with such presence that suggest that these were atleast S-tiers
Ethan’s gaze moved across the faces and of everyone in that room, he recognized only one.
Bernadette Foster.
She caught his eyes almost immediately and smiled, lifting one hand in a small wave.
Ethan returned it with a nod.
"Mr. Stark." A calm, firm voice drew his attention to the head of the table.
It was from President Alva Costigan. She was brown-haired, and had the same color for eyes that moved across the room with assessment.
And for her dressing, she wore a dark pinstriped three-piece suit, a black tie, and a long coat over her shoulders, with a slender cane, now resting beside her.
She had assumed the presidency three years ago, following the retirement of her predecessor, Ned, under whom she had served directly as assistant.
The transition had been largely uncontested, making her the 13th President Of The Dimensional Security Bureau
"Right on time," The President said.
But Before Ethan could respond , another sharp voice followed. "What the hell is he doing here?"
A scrawny man in a suit leaned forward from his seat, his eyes fixed on Ethan with open hostility.
Hayley’s expression changed in an instant, and she was just about to react when, another voice cut in.
"Watch it." Bernadette warned Bart, the captain of Berserk Claws
Bart scoffed, leaning back without fully backing down. "He’s the reason guilds are struggling right now," he said, his gaze still on Ethan. "Or have the rest of you not felt it yet?"
Then he turned towards Bernadette and Ivan, "Even if you claim to be the number one guild, surely you must have"
But they both chose not to react. Ivan, the guild master of Black Hearts, glanced at Ethan for a brief moment, then looked away.
Ethan himself said nothing to all of this. He saw no reason to reply to the obviously hurt fellow.
"This is not what I called everyone here for." Alva then cut in. Her gaze moved across the table before landing on Ethan and Hayley.
"Mr. Stark. Ms. Arcorys." She gestured. "Please, have a seat."
They both pulled out a chair and sat. And after the did, Alva continued.
"I thank you all for coming. This was as much S-tiers I could get on short notice"
Then she lifted her hand and snapped her fingers towards a suited man standing off to the side.
The man moved immediately, stepping forward to an embedded interface at the table.
After a few quick inputs, the lights dimmed and the display panel lit up to a grainy image which stabilized slowly until it was clear enough to be seen.
Even though it was black and white quality at this time, what was revealed was a creature.
And this creature on display was enormous. Its body was heavily muscled, and it had multiple sets of eyes distributed across its face and torso.
Its face was skull-like, with a wide, jagged mouth and no visible nose. Massive black wings extended from its back, with each one carrying additional eyes embedded within them.
Twisted appendages rose from its head like horns or tendrils, curling upward in irregular shapes. It had two hands on each side, bringing it to a total of four which ended in long, curved claws, and even in still footage, the scale of it was immediately apparent.
A low murmur spread through the room.
Alva’s voice cut through it. "This," she said, "is a newly identified species. One we have not yet classified."
Her eyes stayed on the projection.
"They are winged entities. And they emerged from an S-rank breach zone... to be precise, a dimensional break"
Save for Ivan and Bernadette, the reaction on their faces was mostly that of shock.
One of the seated individuals asked. "there is a breach break in the country?"
"No," Alva replied.
She tapped the table and the image shifted, pulling back to reveal a broader map overlay with territorial borders and marked corridors.
"This incident occurred in Lohansburgh."
She let that settle for a moment.
"Lohansburgh shares land borders with both Gritnia and Taldoria," she continued."
A few expressions around the table visibly became concerned.
"The breach zone that broke was confirmed S-rank." She paused. "And in the last twenty-four hours alone, the situation has deteriorated drastically."
The projection shifted again, showing multiple feeds that appeared simultaneously. ƒгeewebnovёl.com
Different sectors of Lohansburgh.
Burning districts and collapsed infrastructure. The creatures moving through open airspace and tearing through structures, scattering awakened persons, military units and civilians alike as though neither posed any meaningful resistance.
The room fell silent.
"A breach zone collapse has not been recorded in our region in several decades." She continued. "And the confirmed death toll in Lohansburgh over the last twenty-four hours has reached approximately one hundred and eighty-seven thousand."
A murmur broke through the room immediately, but died just as quickly.
"And it is still rising."
Alva’s gaze remained forward.
"We have ensured that this information has not reached public channels," she continued. "All media coverage has been restricted. Because If this spreads unchecked, it will trigger mass hysteria."
A few heads turned to each other just a bit.
"The King has also not yet been informed," she added. "But he will be. I chose to brief this council first."
One of the seated men leaned forward. "What of their S-tiers ? I’m sure Lohansburgh has some."
"They do," Alva replied. "Although their numbers are less than half of what we have here. But unfortunately, as of this morning...they are all confirmed dead."
Now, terror filled some of their eyes as they understood what this meant. Their country’s S-tiers had been overwhelmed by the numbers of it.
The projection updated again, showing swarms of the creatures moving through open sky.
"Current estimates place the hostile entities in the several hundreds," Alva continued. "And the dungeon’s boss has not yet been located."
One other awakened there spoke, "was this World-end?"
Alva nodded once. "Yes. Lohansburgh has officially classified it as a World-End breach."
It was the only thing that could explain the several numbers hovering in the skies at this time. And the experienced Caster who asked, was right.
Even Ethan had a really worried look on hjs face as he processed it.
Another man spoke. "Can their country not call onto the help of any of the Grand-class?"
Alva exhaled. "I was told that they have attempted contact, but response has been limited."
"Most of the Grand-Class were unreachable, and the few who responded made unreasonable demands, which cannot be met under this level of emergency."
She turned slightly toward the projection. "This is precisely why you are all here."
The next display then showed a simulation of a single creature breaching a marked perimeter line.
"This was one of the earliest recorded creatures," Alva said. "It was intercepted on Gritnia soil before it could advance further inland."
She turned slightly, gesturing toward Ivan and his vice.
"If Miss Bernadette had not responded to the call in time and moved to intercept it," Alva continued, "it would have breached populated areas within minutes."
The image changed again, showing a boundary map with border airstrips highlighted in red across the regional overlay.
"Within the next seventy-two hours, I intend to mobilize as many of the S-tier as we can reach to man our border regions with Lohansburgh"
"If even one of these breaches spreads beyond the containment lines to be set, Lohansburgh will not remain an isolated event. Gritnia will be next. Then every neighboring region."
The implication needed no elaboration.
"I will be meeting with the heads of all major families within 48-two hours," she continued. "We will need more help."
The families had awakened persons, with high-tiered talents, but a key issue in reaching them was that the nobles, especially the vampire families, refused to allow their members to publicly register their talent levels with the DSB.
It was also one of the reasons Wilson was not explicitly mentioned in the letter, as he was not officially registered in the public DSB records.
There was some silence that followed with the tension.
Ethan’s gaze stayed on the projection, watching the burning streets and collapsed homes. "...Is there no other way to help them?" he asked.
