Vampire's Blood Ascension-Chapter 18: Rank 1 Terror Gate [1]

ARO came to a stop before a skyscraper just five hundred meters away from the realm spire.

All of them stepped out and walked inside the skyscraper.

As Rudy set foot inside, his gaze fell on various outdated electronic devices, including a computer that required a monitor, a telephone, and many similar pieces of pedestrian equipment that wouldn’t be found anywhere else.

The reason they had them was simple: the realm spire made newer technology inoperable, so they had no choice but to use older ones that didn’t require signals.

All of them climbed into an elevator, and Dawin pressed the button leading to the discussion floor.

Once they reached the discussion floor, they entered a room full of other promising cadets and enforcers, seated around a round table. At the far end of the table sat a man who was completely shrouded in shadows, and no one there could sense his presence.

No one except Rudy, of course.

As he stepped inside the discussion hall, warning bells rang in his hand, and he did his best to show none of it on his face.

His gaze shifted towards the person at the far end for a moment, and he thought, ’Is that an ascendant?’

He wasn’t entirely sure if that person was actually an ascendant or someone with a deadly attribute because he had only met one when he was a regular, and he wasn’t going to alert him by making use of his [Scarlet Sight].

Angelo took a seat, and their circle stood behind him.

For the next fifteen minutes, they discussed the gates, assigned them to the circles, and devised tactics to use if anyone failed to neutralise their terror gate.

Angelo and the circle walked out of the building, took one of the AROs standing in the parking lot, and left for their gate, which was about five kilometers southwest of the wall.

As they neared the wall, Rudy opened the mission screen on his haloband.

———

Mission #1574I

Description: [Assist your designated Circle in the containment and neutralization of a Rank 1 Terror Gate.]

Circle: [Vlad Belmont, Ray Hilton, Trina Salinas, John Stinson.]

Enforcer: [Angelo Terns.]

Duration: [1hr 0m 5s]

Reward: [60 credits.]

*Personal Reward: [Gain the status of Cadet, Access to Mecha Pilot Training Ward.]

———

’We used around fifteen minutes talking about tactics that should be common sense...’ he heaved a sigh and looked at the two large humanoid war machines standing at the exit.

One of them was slim and painted red and yellow; the other was broader and painted dark green.

The slim mecha provided speed and used its bladed limbs, while the broader mecha provided strength and toughness and used blunt weapons like a mace.

Both of them had energy guns, but they were rarely used, as essence energy couldn’t be stored in sufficient amounts to use them carelessly.

The mecha engineers all over the world were looking for a way to combine both of them, but their attempts had been fruitless.

Not everyone could pilot them; only those with attributes below rare grade could use them, and they served as Mecha Corps that oversaw sanctuary cities and conducted monthly patrols throughout the nearby areas to kill any hiding dreadborn.

Those with rare or higher attributes focused on personal training because they had a higher chance of advancing to the next realm.

Two more minutes passed as they reached their final destination and stepped out of the ARO.

Before them was an ominous black tear within the space itself, with cracks widening with each second.

Corners of Rudy’s lips twitched, and a grin threatened to appear on his face, but he made sure to continue his newbie act.

His haloband buzzed, and he checked it.

[Trina: Don’t worry, we are here as a team.]

Rudy nodded, took a deep breath, and mumbled sincerely, "Thank you..."

[Trina: It’s nothing.]

His lips curled upwards, and he said, "It’s a lot for me."

The next moment, a faint crunch echoed across the area, and the gate’s surface shattered like glass.

Dreadborns stepped out of the gate — tall, hound-like creatures with sharp, upright ears and massive claws jutting from their paws. Fangs protruded from their snarling maws as their eyes burned with a feverish purple madness, and they released piercing, whistling howls that cut through the air like blades.

Rudy checked them by using his [Scarlet Sight] for a moment. The edge of his crimson pupils glowed red, and he looked at the dreadborns before him.

All of them had two empty cores, each containing nothing.

’Latent feinds... a lot of them.’

"Get ready," Angelo stated calmly as he stepped aside.

White sparks flickered around their hands as they took out their weapons.

Rudy gripped the hilt of his long sword, Ray held two axes, Trina took off the steel mask covering the lower half of her face and grabbed the hilt of her short swords, and lastly, John drew his bow and pointed an arrow towards the incoming dreadborns.

The dreadborns leapt at them. Rudy and Ray stepped forward to cut them, John shot an arrow and jumped back to support from the rear, and Trina assisted them by impaling the joints of the dreadborns from the sides.

"Get down!" Rudy swung his long sword in a wide arc and decapitated three of the dreadborns, blood flooding out of their headless neck like fountains.

[You have slain a Latent Fiend: Howler Hound!]

[You have slain a Latent Fiend: Howler Hound!]

[You have slain a Latent Fiend: Howler Hound!]

Corners of Rudy’s lips curled upwards, without any care in his mind, he stepped between the horde of the howler hounds.

One of the hounds swung its claws at him. He straightened his stance, used his long sword to parry the claw, cut its leg with the next swing, and its head with the following.

[You have slain a Latent Fiend: Howler Hound!]

The head hadn’t even stopped rolling when another tried to devour him with its repulsive maw.

Rudy ducked down, placed his hand on the ground, pushed himself to the side, and swung his sword in a backward motion.

His sword cut through the howler hound’s dark, creaking neck, and with a thud, its body fell, and its head rolled down near his feet.

[You have slain a Latent Fiend: Howler Hound!]

His grin widened even further, a blood thirsty glint passed through his eyes, and others watched him with impressed gazes.