Meanwhile...
Just a minute after the chaotic portal become stable, revealing a serene color of an ocean, a man clad in bright golden armor emerged from it.
A man then followed, then by a woman until altogether, five people exited the portal. They were the heroes and members of the Golden Guild.
A young reporter nearby immediately covered this big news.
"Now we are witnessing the successfull clearance of the biggest threat in this world - the A-grade portal who had took lives of many heroes from prior expeditions." The reporter took a pause as the camera pointed towards the blue portal. Zooming in, the faces of the emerging heroes were flashed on everyone's TV screens.
A portal flashing a color of a universe meant that it is currently stable. As it turned azure, doom could be expected and immediate clearance must be undertaken, else, monsters would spew out from it, wreaking havoc within the vicinity. Lastly, a portal in serene oceanic color signified that the portal had been successfully cleared and would not spew out monsters for at least a year.
With that, the people emerging from the portal should be beaming with elation but their faces flashed defeat, after all...clearing the portal cost them lives of a hundred guild members.
"This..."
The reporter just noticed that no more members were emerging from the portal. She couldnt help but lose her composure for a while, her eyes getting wet as she looked at the heroes' expression. However, saddened as she may, she knew that she had to do her duty.
*cough
"It can be remembered that the Golden Guild has attempted to attack this portal for years now after their guild leader, Golden Hero, has become an A-grade 2 years ago. And just a week ago, they had decided to finally took on this challenge...", paused the reporter once more as she could no longer hold her tears. Her voice shaking...
"A--- among the 150 members that entered the portal.... 5 heroes had now emerged triumphantly..."
*sob sob
The people watching on their TVs felt a prick in their heart watching the reporter wiped away her tears. The camera shifted, revealing the crowd in front of the portal halting on their joyful hymns as they similarly, lost their composure.
The entire Rizal Park was now again drowned with tears.
A member leading a group of healer immediately ran towards the Golden Hero and the other 4 members who emerged from the portal. Their heart breaking but they had a duty to fulfill.
They immediately regenerate the severed limbs and injuries of the members.
"My wife... where is she?", uttered a man healer as he was healing the Golden Hero. The latter could only shook his head as he patted the healer's shoulder.
"Im sorry... I wasnt able to save them...", uttered Golden Hero as the man wailed in losing the woman he vowed to live with. He didnt know how to tell this news to their children...
After the heroes had been healed, dozens of experienced reporters immediately surrounded the Golden Hero. Inquisitive remarks overwhelmed the Hero in bright golden armor.
"Just what really happened in the portal?"
"What kind of monsters did you encounter?"
"Did the other 145 members really die from this expedition?
"Why werent you able to save them?"
Gutted questions were thrown one after the other. The Golden Hero who had regained his composure didnt pay attention to mocking questions thrown at him. Instead, he glanced at a camera and took a deep breath.
His gesture immediately silenced the thick-faced reporters.
"I, the Golden Hero, am sorry for the households of the fallen heroes. I will make sure that their sacrifice and heroism will forever be remembered.", the Golden Hero uttered as he then bowed his head for a long minute.
Then, he once again looked at the camera. A smile forced out of his face.
"We have endured 20 years of pain, hardships, and grieving for those who died from monster invasion. And now, through the sacrifice of the heroes and civilians that fought back despite their powerlessness from 20 years ago to now, we... together has finally broke free from shackle of fear. We have successfully cleared the highest A-grade portal."
"We no longer have to crawl in fear. We no longer have to fit ourselves to our cabinets just to hide from their claws. We no longer have fear them...", paused the Golden Hero as he summoned his golden sword from the inventory ring in his index finger. A bright and assuring sword flashed in the media and screens as people wailed in honor of their fallen beloved ones.
Continuing, the Golden Hero spoke.
"Now, its our time to fight back. This is the start of our triumph against the monsters. Now... its our turn to attack."
"G-- Golden Hero...!"
"All glories to the fallen heroes!"
"Hail the heroes!"
"Thank you...."
The crowd submerged in tears, throw their arms in the air as the Golden Hero's remarks had ignited their wills to fight back against the monsters. They had lived in fear for 20 years now, and now that they had proven that monsters were no more a threat by killing the strongest monster in the A-grade portal, they no longer have to fear them.
"We can fight them!"
"Yay! Daddy... I want to be a hero"
"M-mommy... you can now rest in peace. We have taken our revenge"
More and more emotions overwhelmed the entire Earth that time. Their grieves enclosed by fear were now being unwrapped as they now had time to mourn.
But... as if fate was playing with them, their celebration didnt last long as another bigger threat greeted them.
*whoosh whoosh
Beside the blue portal in Rizal Park, turbulent in the air had started to form. Cracks began to become visible in the space as the turblence seemed to break the space around it. And in no time, a bean-sized portal appeared in everyone's sight.
It grew larger and larger as it sucked the atmosphere around it, forming an enormous space crack. The A-grade portal now appeared like a joke beside the newly-formed portal beside it.
Piercing the sky 250 meters tall, a portal materialized before everyone's eyes. Its color, azure.
"Shit----"
Cursing in horror, the Golden Hero abruptly activated his shield, forming a 10-meter diameter dome-shaped protection around him. Seeing his dumbfounded guild members who were yet to plucked themselves out of horror state, he shouted.
"Golden Lion! Activate your shield, NOW!"
Just as his words ended, a strong suction force drew the surrounding objects and creatures, humans and animals alike, around the portal. The suction was so strong that the civilians who were not in the scope of the Golden Lion's protection were rapidly pulled in the portal.
"Mom!"
"Arghhh"
Holding on trees nor streetpoles couldnt do any help as the ground was peeled off its trees and bricked road. The engineered buildings couldnt maintain its footing as a larger force disrupted its equilibrium.
The proud statue of Dr. Jose Rizal was plucked out of its state, like an ant being vacuumed.
Witnessing the sight of helpless civilians and even the police and young kids being endlessly pouring into the portal, their expressions screaming for help, the Golden Hero couldnt help but reminisce a scene from his past.
---
20 years ago, a portal emerged out of nowhere. The rebellious teenager, Golden Hero, who just run out of their home, just watched this portal amazed by the fantasy-like scenery.
With this, it was late for him to avoid the suction force of the E-grade portal, his thin body lifted in the air and closing in in the portal. Only then did he feel the terror in his state, eminent death flashing in his eyes.
And it was at that time that a thinner woman holding on a cable tied in streetlight appeared and held him in midair. But the suction force was just too strong.
In addition to their combined weight and the suction force, the streetpole began to shake and was likely to be pulled off the ground. The woman saw this, without hesitation, she tied the cable to the young Golden Hero's arm.
Her hand patted the latter's head for the last time.
"Survive, son..."
With a soft smile, the Golden Hero's mother let go of the cable, her body sucked and disappeared in the E-grade portal...
------
Golden Hero felt a dejavu as he witnessed several people being sucked in the portal. Threwing his hesitations off, he spoke.
"Neil, take care of the guild for a while... I'll be back", uttered the Golden Hero as he looked at the Vice Leader beside him. Other than himself, he was the only person in the dome that retained his composure.
"Y--you, what are you planning to do?!"
"Just something that my mother would do in this situation.", he recalled her mother's resolve to save him that time and his idiotness that led to her death.
There was no hesitation this time.
Seeing that the portal was gradually calming down, the Golden Hero walked out of the dome, his body willingly ride along the suction force.
"Golden Hero!"
"I know you can handle the guild better. Dont worry", muttered the Golden Hero before his body disappeared in the newly-formed portal.
The suction lasted for two minutes that felt like an eternity to the people in the site. Experienced reporters couldnt drew any guts as this was beyond their mental capacity. They could only watched the scene unfold before them, their mics dropping to the ground as the cameras remained rolling.
After two minutes, the site regained its silence.
The portal had finally calmed down.
The shield eventually broke to pieces from the impact, uncovering the 97 people who survived the unprecedented catastrophe.
Looking around him, the Vice President of the Lion Guild gulped at the 200-meter diameter pit that the suction had created. Counting the number of survivors, an estimation of 80-100 was made...
"This...", Neil Young muttered, reminiscing the similar catastrophe that happened 20 years ago, the worldwide dispersed suction that occured along with the first appearance of the portal...
Had the Golden Hero didnt alert them to activate their shield, they would have all been sucked to the portal.
"Did we really escape living with fear?... Golden Hero", Neil Young muttered, looking at the azure portal that the Golden Hero had vanished into.
"Please... Survive..."
----
Meanwhile, Alab felt a prick in his head.
He remembered being used as a hostage by a criminal then a strong suction force pulled him from behind. The next moment, his view shifted to a dark place with moonlight from a red moon above lighting the place dimly.
Devoid with energy, Alab scanned the gloomy area with trees and rubbles scattered around.
The people ahead of him, in a similar sorry state as his, started to stand, seemingly looking at whatever was in front.
It only took a while before notification in their heads disrupted the people.
[Ding!]
[The host is detected to be unawakened. Initializing temporary first awakening...]
[You have successfully awakened (first awakening - temporary)]
[You have now entered the S-grade portal. Estimating the number of challengers...]
[A total of 1,000 challengers have been estimated]
[Retrieving the S-grade mission...]
[Mission:
Option 1: Kill the survivors of the destroyed Planet Dem
Option 2: Survive for 30 days]
[Number of survivors: 4
Number of challengers: 1,000]
[The system wishes you luck in your mission!]