Chapter 85. Immunity
Southern Continent.
Eldorath Empire
Hessington State.
Harland City.
Western District.
The morning was snowy. However that did not stop reporters from crowding before the rank 2 gate that had plagued the western district of the city for weeks.
This morning, another team was organised, about to enter the gate. Two expedition teams had already gone into the gate. The first one perished. The second one had not returned after three weeks. They were assumed dead.
The western district of the city had turned into a warzone. Warriors and beasts had been engaged in battles endlessly.
Endless heat had plagued the western district. This was an environmental phenomenon from the pocket world the gate opened into.
The third expedition was about to enter the gate, when the gate started to destabilize.
It was shrinking.
This was when reporters arrived at the place through helicopters.
The second expedition team had managed to close the gate. They were coming out!
The broadcast was being streamed across local media channels of the surrounding cities, including Derulo City, Cosmere City, Fulco City and Tanmun City.
Also, the Warriors Association social media platforms across the above mentioned cities were covering it.
Currently, the warriors fighting the chaotic beasts across the western district had considerably thinned down the numbers of the chaotic beasts. Coupled with the fact that the gate was closing, their morale shot through the roof.
Eventually, they slaughtered all the chaotic beasts that had come through the gate and were plaguing the western district.
The third expedition, about to enter the gate, stood by the side. Since the gate had been closed, there was no need for them anymore.
A group came out of the gate.
The moment they stepped out, the gate shrunk and disappeared. The heat from the pocket world that had been plaguing the environs also disappeared.
All eyes were on the group that came out.
Cameras flashed before their faces.
Across the neighboring cities and even Harland City, people watched the streams on their phones, computers and televisions.
A famous reporter flashed towards the group before any other reporter. He was known for asking sensitive questions other reporters didn’t ask. He was very blunt and impolite.
"Instructors, it appears out of the 105 warriors that entered the gate, 2 did not return. What happened to them?"
The moment he asked this question, the whole place turned silent. Everyone was too focused on the fact that the gate had been closed. So they didn’t pay attention to the fact that two students did not return with the group.
Deaths among warriors during expeditions and explorations into gates were common.
However, everyone was curious about what happened in the pocket world.
"One student died as a result of their carelessness. The other was killed by a fellow student," the lead instructor from Harland Metropolitan University replied.
"Condolences to the family of the students.. wait... did you say one student killed a student?" The reporter asked.
"Yes." The instructor dragged Henrich forward. Henrich had dull and empty eyes. His whole future had fallen apart. Up to now, he didn’t know why he did that to Rexilia. But he knew it didn’t matter. What had happened had happened. His life was over.
"He killed his fiance, Rexilia Ravenspar, the student council president of Derulo City University. Everyone here is a witness and can testify to it," the instructor said as every expedition team member nodded. "As for his reasons, we don’t know why. He will however be expelled from Harland Metropolitan University effective immediately for dishonoring Derulo City University on an expedition they embarked on to support us. The higher authorities of Harland Metropolitan University were informed the moment we came out of the gate. His expulsion has been approved. Not only that, he will be blacklisted from enrolling in any warriors university across Endra."
This guy was screwed forever. His future was over, the reporters in the vicinity and everyone watching thought.
Also, it seemed a war between the Ravenspars and the Fangs would happen soon. The Ravenspars would take revenge for the death of their daughter. The Fangs would try to protect their son even if they had plans of disciplining him later.
"If I may ask, how was the gate closed?" The reporter asked.
Everyone wanted an answer to the question. A pocket world that killed the first expedition team and took the second expedition team so long to close, was definitely not a simple pocket world. There must have been a lot of challenges there.
The viewers and the reporters saw something weird.
Every expedition team member, from students to instructors, looked at a brown haired fellow with dark eyes, in a long coat, jeans and sneakers standing at the back of the group.
They all opened a path for him.
But Aiden’s attention seemed to be elsewhere. He was in thought. He did not even pay attention to the reaction of the expedition team. He was present physically, but absent in thought.
Fortunately, Pamela intervened.
"Kid must be very tired from all the work he did in the pocket world," she thought.
"Aiden Vhorn here is the reason why we are all alive, and we managed to close the gate," she said.
Her words caused an uproar.
She started explaining everything from when they entered the pocket world, through everything that happened, to when they closed the gate and came out.
The place was completely silent.
"He actually led the expedition team through all that? And used uncanny tactical abilities to not only coordinate the slaughter of thousands of rank 1 and rank 2 chaotic beasts, but also 400 legendary rank 2 wyverns, which led to the close of the gate?"
"Is this not the third gate he has phenomenally played a very huge role in closing?"
A reporter stammered in shock.
This sounded like something straight out of fiction.
What the hell?
Who the hell was this kid?
Everyone else watching was also asking themselves the same question.
Also why was he standing there quietly as if everything that was being said had nothing to do with him?
This achievement would travel through Hessington State!!
Did he not understand what he had achieved or what? Or was he so abnormal that what others deemed abnormal was normal to him?
"The Hessingtons and the Fangs should be arriving here to start a commotion anytime soon. They must have seen everything said about Henrich on TV," Aiden thought. "Also, now that I’m literally famous across the whole state, the families of my friends won’t have any reservations in openly backing me. At first, they may have had political reservations because of the gravity of the organisations trying to kill me. But considering my current feats, they won’t hesitate to back a future powerhouse."
"This ought to give me some immunity against the Vermin guild, the other guilds and conglomerates who want me dead. Now, they can’t harm me even if they rebuild their organisations in the future and decide to target me."
"This will give me enough time to get strong enough to handle them. Connections may not be personal power, but at least they provide some form of immunity. Coupled with the fact that Pamela Ashira is known to openly have my back, they can’t try any nonsense. I’ll only have to be on the lookout for assassinations though. But I have the perfect plan to handle that."
Aiden snapped out of his thoughts as a camera flashed before him.
"Mr Vhorn, how do you feel about your accomplishment?"
"Mr Vhorn, this is the third gate you’ve phenomenally played a very huge role in closing. How do you feel?"
"Mr Vhorn..."
Aiden was about to manifest crimson wings and disappear from the place. He did not want to deal with these annoying reporters. He just wanted to return to return to campus and sleep.
Suddenly, the parents of Desmonda, Luke, Candice, Seraphina, and Asmodeus, blitzed through the skies and appeared at the place.
Their children run towards them and hugged them.
They made some comments about being relieved their children were safe.
After that, they ignored the stunned reporters, greeted the instructors politely and walked to Aiden.
"Mr Vhorn thank you for taking care of these fellas," the parents said politely.
"This is their way of openly announcing they back me huh," Aiden thought.
"Please seniors. My friends relied on their own efforts. There’s no need to underestimate them," Aiden replied politely.
"Hahah. Alright. Our doors are always open to you. If you have some free time, visit us with our kids. We’d love to get to know you better."
"Certainly," Aiden nodded politely.
The pairs of parents left the place.
The reporters and everyone watching was stunned. It seemed that from now on, Aiden Vhorn had entered the sphere of these influential powers and had their backing.
The parents of his friends were not just powerful in their cities. They were beginner rank 3 warriors that run organisations with branches spread across Hessington State.
Anyone who wanted to eliminate him had to think twice before they tried. Those who were desperate could only resort to assasination attempts.
Suddenly, two voices rumbled across the skies as explosions shook the skies.
"Fang! How dare you obstruct us. If we don’t kill your son today, then we will take you with us to the afterlife. Don’t obstruct us!"
"Do you think I will allow that to happen?. So what if my son killed your daughter? He’s still my son. I will deal with him as I see fit. Fuck off, Ravenspar!"
Aiden smiled.
"It’s starting huh," he thought.
"We are leaving," Cosmo said.
"Same for us," the lead instructor from Cosmere City University said too.
It seemed everything had been taken care off.
"We will send the rewards for the expedition via aircraft," the lead instructor from Harland Metropolitan University said to them.
"Alright," they replied.
The Derulo City University and Cosmere City University Expedition teams boarded their aircrafts and left the place.
Soon, the clashes above ceased.
Two pairs of couples appeared.
The Fangs and the Ravenspars.
The Harland Metropolitan University instructors left Henrich there and left.
This was no longer their business.
The reporters also fled the place.
When Henrich saw his parents, he lost all desire to live. He could not take it anymore. Now that he thought about it, his life would be miserable and finished if he lived anyway.
He sighed.
Wait...
"Henrich no..." The Fangs shouted.
Their son took out a poison bottle. He drank its content. His skin turned greenish.
His eyes lost signs of life.
He fell down on the ground, lifeless.
"Hmph!" The Ravenspars left.
"Ravenspars, our son is dead. Are you happy now!" The Fangs shouted.
"This is not over. Your son killed himself. We didn’t kill him. Vengeance is not complete," the Ravenspars said as they left.
"So be it. We shall have a war then if that’s what you want!"