Emery approached the second-layer gate with a mix of astonishment and apprehension. Unlike the first gate, where a little over 500 magus had gathered, this time there were nearly 6000 of them. It was a crowd that had swelled tenfold, creating an imposing assembly of magus from various factions.
Among this massive gathering, all the major units of the Grade Five human factions were represented—the Arcanum, the Imperium, the Oculus, the Arkaland, the Cross, and the Nephilim, including the prominent Azazel and Aztebas families. The presence of these renowned factions added a layer of tension and anticipation to the atmosphere.
As Emery made his way toward Jinkan and the others, he couldn't help but notice the hundreds of eyes fixed on him. "You're quite famous," remarked Mahinder with a smile, clearly pleased to blend into the background, with Emery attracting most of the attention.
