At first, the Red Moon appeared to be nothing more than a beautiful and mysterious sight. High above the deep blue sky, it glowed with a deep crimson hue, casting a strange and mesmerizing light across the dimension.
However, behind that beauty lurked the very depths of hell itself.
Ten years ago, when the first Red Moon appeared in Germany, the world was thrown into chaos.
During that time, Eisenorden, one of the largest guilds in the country, was nearly wiped out the moment they encountered the phenomenon.
The few survivors told terrifying stories that forced guilds across Europe to unite and seal the A-rank Gate where it had appeared.
What followed a month later, during the massive expedition, was a brutal slaughter. Seventy percent of the Hunters who ventured inside the Gate died.
Among the fallen were seven S-rank Hunters, four of them from Germany, leaving a huge hole in the nation's ranks.
A few years later, other Gates with an active Red Moon began appearing across the world. Some countries managed to clear their Gates with relative success while others suffered devastating losses.
So far, eleven Gates mutated by the Red Moon have appeared and nine have already been cleared.
Two remain active and are considered impossible to close without investing massive resources.
One is in Ohio, United States, and the other in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Rumors say China has been lying about closing a Gate with the Red Moon. Their tight control over the media and internal information has made it hard to know if it's true or not.
Regardless, one thing is clear.
The Red Moon doesn't appear often, considered rare, but it's never something to take lightly.
Its endless waves of monsters, cruel environment, and punishing calamities make even National Hunters think twice before acting recklessly when it appears.
"No... it can't be... How can a Red Moon appear inside a D-rank Gate!?" a member of the Akuma Guild shouted in despair.
"This has to be a joke. What the hell is going on?" another yelled.
Aki stared up at the bright red moon hanging above, his face pale with fear.
"Dammit! Everyone, activate the Black protocol. Get the students out of here and start evacuating the camp immediately!" he commanded.
The place erupted into chaos as everyone rushed to carry out the orders.
Meanwhile, Reisou moved with 2B and the others toward the camp exit when his system suddenly blared.
[Ding!]
[New dimension loaded successfully.]
[Generating mission...]
[Mission generated successfully!]
+ + + + +
Mission Name: White Blood.
Objectives:
- Survive 24:00:00
Dimension Effect:
- The Host cannot exit the Gate! Your connection to the outside world has been temporarily cut.
Rewards: 120 System Points, 250 World Points, and 45,000 XP.
Good luck?
+ + + + +
When Reisou finished reading the mission description, his face darkened.
He was trapped. The system had completely cut off any chance of him leaving the Gate.
With no other choice, he leaned close and whispered something in 2B's ear. She quickly understood his predicament and didn't hesitate to stay by his side.
To her, his life mattered more than anything else.
Reisou quickly spotted an opening and slipped away with 2B. The two crouched low and disappeared into the bushes.
Amid the chaos, Eriri, Kei, and Yukino didn't realize they were no longer with the group.
When they reached the Gate exit, the Akuma Guild personnel evacuated the students first before stepping outside themselves.
Only Aki, along with Denji and Power, remained inside, waiting for Makima who hadn't shown up yet.
He knew she was very strong, but no one could clear a Gate with an active Red Moon alone.
"Aki, shouldn't we go with the others? Just standing here is giving me chills," Denji said, hugging himself against the cold.
"Yeah, it's like standing inside a freezer," Power muttered, rubbing her hands for warmth.
Aki let out a long sigh at their complaints.
"If you want to leave, I won't stop you." He kept his eyes ahead, determined to wait for Makima and make sure she was safe.
The two stayed silent, standing by his side. They were deeply grateful to Aki for letting them live with him and taking them out of the slums.
And even if he sometimes sounded a bit cold, he had always been like an older brother to them.
So there was no way they would let him be alone in that place.
*BWOOAAHH!
A loud, deep sound rolled across the entire area, like a cargo ship horn but louder and more piercing.
The three froze, startled, unable to tell where it had come from.
Looking up at the sky, they noticed a deep, jagged crack that had suddenly appeared, spreading rapidly across it.
From the crack, black faceless figures with wings of dark energy poured out, filling the sky.
The first wave had begun.
"What? It's already starting? Come on, you two, we can't stay here," Aki said, his voice tense but firm.
He pulled the two siblings along and led them out of the Gate.
All he could do now was hope Makima arrived before the monsters reached her.
With the Red Moon, there was no Gate Boss. That was bad news, because every monster inside would be in a constant frenzy, targeting anyone they came across.
Their endless bloodlust and relentless violence made it nearly impossible for anyone to stand against a horde, even when backed by an army of Hunters.
Elsewhere, near the abandoned camp, Reisou and 2B stood together, watching the monsters fill the sky above.
When the first horn blared, they prepared to fight, but the sight of so many monsters made Reisou gulp nervously.
The number of enemies was terrifying.
How could they possibly take on all of them?
[Ding!]
[The system has detected an irregularity. Generating helper pack to assist the host.]
[Ding!]
[Helper pack has been generated.]
[Congratulations! You have received Healing Potions ×15]
[Congratulations! You have received Techwave Armor Set(C-Grade) ×1]
[Congratulations! You have received the Technique: Wind Blade (2⋆)]
As if sensing his unease, the system provided him with a few useful items.
That was the moment he knew things were about to take a turn for the worse, just like in a video game that gives you plenty of resources right before a boss fight.
In the sky, the faceless figures turned their gaze toward him and charged in his direction, summoning rusty iron swords enveloped in dark mist.
Reisou immediately equipped the new armor set, adjusted his stance, and rushed forward to attack the first monster.
✫| Armament Haki |✫
His spear, coated in Haki, pierced through the faceless monster's skull with ease. Reisou found it surprising, but there was no time to be happy, as thousands more were already charging toward him.
2B, who had remained still until now, leaped toward the approaching enemies and cut them down with swift and precise strikes.
The two were locked in a fierce battle. Reisou spun his spear, blocking incoming slashes and counterattacking, cutting through the enemies showing his improvement.
Hundreds of monsters fell within half an hour of fighting. Reisou and 2B had been conserving as much energy as possible to keep going, but they soon realized that continuing this way would be a bad strategy.
The number of monsters hadn't dropped at all. In fact, it seemed to have doubled.
Fortunately, the system was keeping track of every kill. Reisou's level had risen by five, and with the four extra attribute points he had saved from the last Gate, he decided it was time to use everything.
He put three points into endurance, three in intelligence, assigned two points to strength, and placed the remaining one into agility.
Even with the sudden boost in power, his stamina and energy were starting to run low. Reisou gave 2B the order to retreat.
She obeyed immediately, covering their escape while fending off the pursuing monsters that swarmed through the sky like a living storm.
They ran through the forest for nearly an hour before finally spotting a cave and rushing inside to take shelter.
At the deepest part of the cave, they found several large boulders and used them to block the entrance, hoping to keep any of the monsters from getting in.
Once they finished moving the rocks, both of them collapsed on the cold ground, exhausted.
The system had really thrown them into a terrible situation. Reisou never imagined the calibration would be this hard.
But what made it even worse was that he couldn't leave the Gate for a whole day.
Reisou took a deep breath to calm himself. Complaining wouldn't help, so he pulled out some water and snacks from his inventory to share with 2B.
When he checked the system panel, he saw there were still more than twenty hours left. For now, staying hidden from the relentless swarm of monsters was the smartest choice.
He had considered farming more experience by killing them, but with that endless horde outside, it was nearly impossible to even try.
As he was lost in thought, 2B came and sat beside him, resting her head on his shoulder.
The gesture snapped him out of his thoughts, and he let out a soft sigh, wrapping an arm around her waist to hold her close.
The two stayed like that for several minutes.
2B didn't lean on him out of fear, but to offer comfort. She could tell he was pushing himself too hard.
"What a coincidence, finding you two here," a calm voice spoke from behind, startling them both and making them raise their weapons.
"You should know it's dangerous to stay here."
When Reisou recognized who it was, his eyes widened.
"Sorry, it wasn't my intention to scare you, Reisou-kun," the voice continued, sounding apologetic.
"Makima?"
Reisou blurted it out, feeling completely confused.