Chapter 38 : Prelude (3)

Caspar showed me a video.

Low quality, seemingly filmed on an old phone, the screen showed only an endlessly stretching desert and a single Gate.

“…He said to show it to you too. Since he was going to show it later anyway, just don’t leak it.”

“This is… Hmm. Texas?”

I had been there before. Secretly flew there to find the Hell Gate.

Back then, I couldn’t find anything. For the place where Hell was first discovered, it was unusually unremarkable.

No. Was it because of that? Because it was completely wiped out once, it was unremarkable.

The Gate visible on screen looked harmless at first glance. And it actually was harmless. Looking at the recorded rank, it was one of the few Gates rated F-rank.

Even in America, where the Hunter system is very different from ours, rank management is handled rather thoroughly. Because otherwise, people die.

But.

-Groan.

The Gate, emitting a bluish light, began to twist strangely. Soon filled with red light, the Gate pulsed and spewed something out.

Splosh.

“Kyaaak! Kreck!”

Slimes made of bubbling lava, sharp-eared imps, and all sorts of other monsters poured endlessly from the reddened Gate.

Naturally, there weren’t many guards. Since Texas has such vast land, only a few National Guard units were stationed there.

…What happened next. Needn’t be said.

Leaving behind only the horribly torn bodies of soldiers, the video ended.

“Hmm. Just now. If I saw correctly… It seems the Gate’s properties changed.”

Though slightly startled by the gruesome sight, it was content I had seen many times.

What surprised me more was that the Gate had ‘changed’.

Originally, a Gate opens in one place and stays there until subjugated. A Gate’s rank might be mismeasured, but its type or danger level never fluctuates.

Naturally. A door attached to a house doesn’t go anywhere. Opening the bedroom door leads to the living room, opening the bathroom door should lead to the bathroom.

It’s a Gate because of the consistency of being able to pass between two spaces consistently. Not some dimensional rift.

But what I just saw denied such common sense.

“Looking at this makes it clearer. A map showing the Gates affected by Hell at the time.”

Saying so, Caspar took out a Texas map. On the old map, where Gate locations were handwritten, an explanation about the S-rank Gate Hell Gate was written in trembling handwriting.

“…I can’t read English. Just a moment.”

I quickly scanned the map with a translator app to check.

—

[Upon first discovery, a huge Gate measured. Judged as a Monster Wave type Gate emitting demon-like life forms, initially designated A-rank, but…]

[Subsequently eroded all Gates located within a 100,000 square kilometer radius. All changed to possess properties similar to the Gate ‘Hell’.]

[After eroding dozens of Gates, US Army and Air Force deployed. Texas successfully recaptured under the leadership of Returnee Doomguy.]

—

“…There’s a Korean translation too.”

“Ah.”

Come to think of it, Caspar didn’t know English either. Besides, Caspar only learned Korean recently, so naturally, he wouldn’t know English.

“W-Well, anyway. Worthy of being called S-rank. To erode the Gates themselves.”

“Right. Though reportedly relatively weak when it first opened. Even then, Hell was already S-rank just with that ability alone. …Though it’s hard for me to even imagine what that time was like.”

Strangely, his words held another meaning.

“Then. Does it mean it’s stronger now…?”

Caspar nodded.

“The estimated ability of S-rank Gate Hell Gate at the current time has become much stronger. Well, it’s the Association’s estimation, not mine. But since other countries cooperated too, it should be reliable.”

Going crazy. Really.

Now with a serious expression, I listened intently to Caspar’s words. Because it seemed like a truly full-scale war was about to break out.

.
.
.

Listening to Caspar and summarizing the current situation, it was like this.

Hell Gate

The first S-rank Gate, called the worst Gate in history, possesses the ability to erode all existing Gates and connect them to Hell.

Once limited only near Texas… but now, having grown in power through countless observations via Gates, it can erode Gates across the entire globe.

Was it judged A-rank upon first discovery? The power of each eroded Gate is comparable to an A-rank Gate, and such Gates connect organically to form a legion.

From the moment they connect to Hell, the demons there constantly try to crawl into Earth and invade, and this continues until all Gates are closed.

There is no main body. Once opened, the Hell Gate will absolutely not close until all doors are shut.

***

Only then did I understand why everyone was desperately trying to reduce the number of Gates.

“…So that’s why they said they’ll raid Hell soon.”

The number of Gates that couldn’t be closed now increases the number of Gates to handle later.

The total volume humanity has to handle won’t change much. Now that Hell is a completely independent world, Gates only serve as doors.

Meaning. They can no longer draw power from humanity’s collective unconscious.

“Right. Enhen, we have to save her. She’s your precious sister. …Sorry I didn’t believe you before.”

I smiled wryly and patted his shoulder.

“No. It was impossible back then anyway.”

Metaphorically speaking, Hell back then could be compared to a bubble just forming within soap froth. Chaotic, constantly changing, weak.

But the current Hell is already a completed world. It neither grows larger nor smaller.

Therefore… Conversely, we can invade.

“Oh right. Caspar, then how much are they planning to reduce the number of Gates?”

Even if the total number of demons emerging from Gates is fixed, concentrating forces is much better than opening tens of thousands of fronts.

The fact that demons don’t get along well is also advantageous. If the number of Gates were large, it might be different, but preparing in advance like now and reducing the number of Gates might force demons with different inclinations to cooperate unwillingly.

Caspar tilted his head slightly and answered.

“666. They said there’s some mystical meaning attached, do you know?”

Ah. That…

“It’s a number symbolizing hell, demons, etc. I wondered what method they’d use to invade first, but there was this way.”

I don’t quite understand the connection between setting the number to 666 and the Hell Gate opening. But among the S-rank Hunters somewhere in the world, there must be someone capable of using such magic or sorcery.

Haa.

Thinking uses up my brainpower, it’s complicated.

My temples throbbed slightly, and my eyes felt tired; I must have overdone it.

Times like these require more Caspar-component.

“…Agathe. Weren’t you in a half-spirit state just now?”

I hugged Caspar’s arm tightly and poked his thigh.

“Quiet. Anyway, I’m half human. So warm me up with your body heat. For reference, since I’m half spirit, clothes are unnecessary.”

Though illogical, logic wasn’t really needed between us.

Just as I was about to explore his lips again and rub my soft body against his firm arm-

-Ding dong!

“Hmm…, don’t want to go out.”

Caspar, teasing my bare skin, gently removed his hand from my chest and straightened my clothes.

“No. Seems like a guest, we should greet them.”

Tch. Good timing ruined.

Anyway, who’s coming all the way here? Security is supposed to be tight too.

Grumbling, I checked the screen. Then let out a short sigh.

“Haa… So she’s coming after all. That woman too.”

Since there was no pretext to block her visit, I pressed a few buttons to unlock the front door.

Then, what appeared was a girl with very distinctive features.

White hair tied in twin tails.

A petite chest, much smaller than mine, and a colorful dress adorned with frills.

Contrasting with that, a lethally sharp longsword, gleaming coldly.

The girl, wearing fashion that would draw attention anywhere, took a deep breath and shouted in a bright, cheerful voice.

“Me! I am coming!”

Kooong!

I seemed to hear such a sound effect. Having captured everyone’s attention, she looked at us with a proud and excited expression.

As if expecting some enthusiastic response.

“…”

Honestly. Seeing her face through the intercom, I was slightly taken aback. Because the person before me was quite famous.

And, hearing her first greeting now, I was even more taken aback, doubly so.

This girl’s brief profile is roughly as follows:

A Murim-world Returnee who achieved age reversal, and one of Korea’s only two S-rank Hunters. Bonus: 37th Head of the Wudang Sect (self-proclaimed).

*(TL Note: Murim refers to the martial arts world in Korean fiction. Banrohwandong is achieving youthfulness/immortality through cultivation.)*

Self-proclaimed, Magical Sword Star.

Commonly known as. The greatest eccentric on the Korean Peninsula, nicknamed Magic Girl, had come to visit us.