Chapter 163: A-Rank Breach
Around the swirling portal that emitted crackling blue streaks of lightning, were magi-engineers dressed in bulky hazmat suits. They held geiger counters up toward the dimensional tear, watching the needles fluctuate wildly as they measured the breach’s energy output.
Other engineers studied readings on large arctabs, their gloved fingers swiping across screens filled with data streams and fluctuating graphs.
Clustervayne guild looked like they were ready to enter.
Percival had a fitted black uniform with reinforced padding and straps across the shoulders. Black gloves covered his hands, and his white hair was tied back to keep it out of his face.
Hayley and Aliyah were dressed in a similar black uniform, though theirs was tailored differently to accommodate their figures.
All three werewolves wore suits made from Morphweave, a specialized fabric Ethan bought on their behalf, that naturally adjusted to the wearer’s body size.
Even if they underwent full transformation into their wolf forms, the material would stretch and accommodate without tearing, then return to its original fit once they shifted back.
Ethan and Wilson, however, were dressed differently from the wolves, though in a style similar to each other. Wilson wore a proper formal suit with an overcoat, tie, and gloves, while Ethan was dressed much the same, albeit without the tie.
A DSB agent watched the proceedings with a clipboard in hand. There was disapproval written on the young man’s face.
This team wasn’t qualified to enter a breach zone marked as A-rank as the minimum requirement was at least three S-tier awakened.
Aside from the white-haired female wolf who gave off the pressure of peak S-tier strength, the others didn’t exactly radiate that level of power.
However his superior had been very clear when sending him out here: observe and document, but do not interfere. Do not bring up regulatory concerns. Just watch and report back.
So the agent kept his mouth shut.
Ethan felt his Arcphone buzz in his coat pocket. He pulled it out, glanced at the screen, and his eyebrows raised slightly in surprise.
It was a message from Bettie, and they hadn’t spoken in almost three weeks.
Bettie: Hey, it’s been a while
However, he wasn’t going to reply just yet, not when they were about to enter the breach.
But then another message appeared immediately after.
Bettie: Can we talk?
Ethan’s eyes narrowed slightly. He stared at the screen for a moment longer, then mentally commanded the phone to return to his inventory.
He turned toward his team.
"Listen up," Ethan began. "Every single monster we encounter in there will be strong enough to take any one of us down if we’re not careful. A-rank means these things are on par with an A-tier awakened at minimum, and some of them will be stronger."
He paused, letting that sink in.
"Are we ready?"
Percival grinned, cracking his knuckles. "Let’s get this shit started."
Hayley smiled and nodded.
Aliyah’s wolf ears twitched forward, and she gave a sharp nod of agreement.
Wilson said nothing, but he drew his katana from its sheath with a smooth motion.
With that, Clustervayne walked forward and stepped through the dimensional tear.
The breach zone was a massive underground cavern system. The walls were constructed from what looked like luminescent stones.
It wasn’t quite white, but rather a sickly off-white color with faint veins of darker minerals running through it in irregular patterns.
The ceiling stretched high above them, easily fifty feet or more in places.
Ethan’s hand went to Ragnarok’s hilt instinctively. Then an idea occurred to him to try and understand the limits and applications of his Affinity’s Charge Aspect.
Then he channeled electrical energy from his body into the weapon as small arcs of blue-white lightning began dancing along the blade’s surface.
Then Ragnarok’s voice spoke directly into his mind, with hint of irritation.
"That tickling is annoying. I implore you to stop"
Ethan blinked in surprise.
Ragnarok continued, "You don’t need it. The charge you’re producing is too fickle to make any significant difference to my cutting power, which is already far superior to anything you could enhance."
A smile tugged at the corner of Ethan’s mouth. "Alright," he thought back as the electrical charge dissipated.
Mutual respect was needed between a soul weapon and its wielder, as they could not be tamed in the conventional sense.
It was either that, or they could directly deny its wielder its full capabilities and stick to regular functions.
Over the past month, Ethan had pushed his bonding progress with Ragnarok all the way to 45%.
At 35% completion, the sword had revealed itself directly for the first time, speaking to him not through system notifications but with its own voice.
And if there was one thing the soul weapon possessed in abundance, it was self-confidence and a huge ego.
The sword genuinely believed it could cut through anything, and had even complained when Ethan used his Amplification trait on it, stating that his wielder was looking down on him by implying the sword needed enhancement in the first place.
The team moved forward through the cavern, their footsteps echoing faintly off the stone walls.
Eventually, the narrow passage they’d been following opened up into a much wider chamber with multiple tunnels branching off in different directions.
And that’s when the monsters appeared.
They emerged from the tunnels slowly at first, their forms backlit by the faint glow of the stone.
Then more and more followed.
These beasts were covered in dark, ridged scales that looked almost like armor plating, with patches of exposed crimson flesh visible between the gaps.
Their heads were broad, had weird looking eyed, with multiple rows of sharp teeth jutting out at irregular angles from their jaws.
Thick, muscular limbs ended in massive claws and their tails were long and segmented, lined with bony protrusions that looked sharp enough to impale.
The creatures let out rumbling growls that reverberated through the chamber as they charged.
But before any of Clustervayne’s members could engage in direct combat with the approaching beasts, Hayley moved.
She leaped several meters into the air partially transformed as she adjusted herself mid-flight, drawing her fist back.
Percival’s eyes widened. "Out of the way, everyone!" he shouted, backing away quickly.
The rest of the team immediately scattered, giving Hayley space.
"Cannon Style..." Hayley whispered, grinning.
Then she drove her fist downward with devastating force.
The air itself seemed to fracture from the point of impact as cracks spread outward in a cone-shaped pattern, splitting into multiple bursts of compressed force that tore through the space below her.
The shockwaves struck the charging monsters in rapid succession and the ground erupted where each burst landed.
The monsters caught in the blasts were thrown backward violently, either slamming into walls or tumbling across the floor.
When the dust cleared, Ethan nodded with an amused expression on his face.
This was far better canon style technique than the basic version of Cannon.
A good number of the monsters had been obliterated outright, and the few that remained were severely damaged, limping or struggling to rise, unable to launch an immediate counterattack.
Percival shook his head with a grin. "Showoff."
Hayley landed lightly on her feet and glanced back at him with a smirk.