Chapter 20 : The Rising Gates
On Earth, Jin Yuan and Emily sat quietly on the couch in their room.
Jin Yuan: …
He was silent as always, his expression calm and hollow.
Emily glanced at him, concern written all over her face.
Emily: "Yuan… are you okay? You said today's mission would be tough."
Her voice carried worry — the kind that came from someone who didn't want to see him hurt.
Jin Yuan noticed it. Inside, he thought to himself, She's worried for me… hmm. She's definitely developing feelings for me.
He already knew she loved him, but he never said it out loud.
Jin Yuan: "It's okay… the others are coming too."
After a while, Yuzurei, Yusikuna, and Musukoni joined him. Together, they geared up and set out on their next mission. Their destination — a dark forest in New York.
The woods were silent, eerie, and empty.
Yuzurei: "What a boring mission… especially with these brats."
His tone was sharp, as usual — the kind that could cut through air.
Yusikuna: "Huh!? There's nothing in this forest!"
He spoke in his usual energetic voice, eyes darting around.
Musukoni, calm and collected, silently scanned the surroundings beside Jin Yuan.
Then, suddenly — the ground began to tremble. A bright blue light burst from the soil as enormous, high-tech gates and stairs emerged, rising like metallic veins through the city.
The entire New York area was engulfed in it — half connected to Earth, half to the Blue Realm.
Yuzurei unsheathed his katanas — this time, he had three. Two gleamed in his hands while the third remained sheathed at his side. A psychotic smile spread across his face.
Yuzurei: "Hah! Finally… some excitement!"
Bloodlust radiated from him.
Beside him, Yusikuna drew his bow, nocking an arrow; Musukoni twirled his twin daggers, their chains glinting under the blue light.
Jin Yuan silently unsheathed his giant katana, eyes scanning the horizon.
Yusikuna: "Whoa… this tech is insane."
The whole city was now surrounded by glowing blue stairways stretching endlessly up and down.
Jin Yuan: "Hmm…"
He observed in silence, every sense on alert.
Musukoni: "We should move further in… My guess is, this is a trap."
The air thickened with tension — and the real battle was only beginning.