Tenebrous Wolf
Chapter 64: First Departure

Chapter 64: First Departure

After meeting with Yuki, there wasn’t much to do.

Following the guidance of the academy speakers, Klaus made his way into the underground levels along with the other aspirants. It was the academy’s underground bunkers.

The center was crowded with aspirants, all clad in various gear. Naturally, each of them wore the standard cybernetic advanced combat suit. Though it couldn’t compare to the mystic Echoes, the suit still provided a high level of resilience. Not to mention, the latest models were equipped with nanobots, granting them an automatic self-repair function so long as the damage wasn’t too severe.

A quick glance was enough to confirm that only a handful of aspirants were equipped with such high-performance suits. In fact, they could be counted on one hand.

This was simply the difference in status and influence.

The atmosphere here is quite tense. It seems everyone is nervous.

The spacious room was filled with aspirants, yet not a single voice could be heard. All of them were subdued with unusually solemn expressions. There was no usual laughter or boisterous conversations — only silence and uneasy contemplation. Unlike like them, the Vestiges remained calm. However, even they kept to themselves.

At this point, they already understood the assignment. This was the moment they had been rigorously training for, yet now that the time had come, they couldn’t help but feel anxious.

It was like preparing for an exam, only to step into the examination hall, receive the question sheet, and feel yourself tense involuntarily. Except, in this case, failure didn’t mean a bad grade. It meant a gruesome death.

...Perhaps the latter would have been the better alternative.

Shifting his gaze, Klaus took in the abundance of high-tech devices and security personnel stationed around the area. It wasn’t difficult to understand why. At the far front, a massive circular structure stood, clearly constructed from advanced materials.

This was the gate or the entrance where the "gateway" to the Shadow Realm would manifest.

Of course, it wasn’t possible for Hollows to cross over through the "primary gateway," but it was standard protocol for security personnel to be present during the gateway’s emergence in case of potential accidents or complications.

In such situations, the guards were heavily armed and clad in full-body advanced armor. Their presence alone was enough to exude an oppressive aura, they looked mean and downright scary.

Klaus couldn’t help but think that these guys were even more intimidating than the full-body cyborgs from MaxTech. It wasn’t an unreasonable thought. After all, individuals standing at a towering height of eight feet would naturally have an intimidating presence.

If he remembered correctly, those soldiers were called the Platoon Troops, special military forces trained and equipped to combat the threats of the Shadow Realm as additional support units. While they weren’t as formidable as Ascendants, they far surpassed ordinary humans in both combat prowess and firepower. Their weaponry was powerful enough to punch through one side of an armored vehicle and exit from the other without losing momentum. Indeed, they were terrifying.

Were they even human anymore?

Just how much of themselves had they sacrificed to achieve such a monstrous form?

Swallowing his dry saliva, Klaus averted his gaze and looked forward. Instructor Jet had appeared right besides the massive gate and raised his voice.

"Aspirants of Ascension Academy! The unholy gateway will soon form on this day and with it, your journey as Ascendants would begin."

After a brief pause, the experienced Lancer added:

"I’ll be as blunt as possible. Many of you will not survive."

Instructor Jet’s voice carried through the underground chamber. His piercing gaze swept over the gathered aspirants, as though measuring their worth with a single glance.

"The Shadow Realm is not kind to the weak, nor does it tolerate hesitation. If you step through that gateway unprepared, you will die. If you underestimate the Hollows, you will die. If you still think this is just another academy trial or test—" His voice hardened. "—then you might as well turn back now. You’re more useful to us alive than dead after all."

A heavy silence settled over the aspirants.

Klaus remained still, but slowly began to frown. He had already known the dangers of the Shadow Realm, but hearing it spoken so plainly made the situation feel all the more real. Around him, some aspirants shifted uneasily, while others clenched their fists in determination.

Instructor Jet continued:

"The First Fracture will test your ability to survive. Nothing more, nothing less. There will be no assistance from this reality, and no one can save you. Once you step into the Shadow Realm, you are on your own. However, if you’re fortunate enough to locate and conquer a secondary gateway, a passage for the Platoon Troops and Angelion Units will be created. If not, then you will have to overcome the Fracture with nothing but your own soul, body and abilities."

Pausing for a moment, his eyes lit up as if remembering something. He hurriedly added:

"And don’t forget. If you fail, whatever abomination lurks within the Fracture will cross over into this world. So don’t die out there."

He motioned to a group of staff members standing near the massive gate. At his signal, they began activating the control panels.

A low hum filled the air, and the circular structure began to glow with a pulsing crimson light.

"The gateway will open in exactly two minutes. Once it does, you will have ten seconds to step through. Hesitate, and you’ll be left behind."

"The gateway will open in exactly two minutes. Once it does, you will have ten seconds to step through. Hesitate, and you’ll be left behind."

A deep, guttural sound reverberated through the chamber as the gate trembled. The very air twisted and distorted around it, as if the fabric of reality surrounding that space was being forcefully pulled apart.

Klaus inhaled slowly. His body tensed, but his mind remained focused.

This was the beginning of his descent into the depths of Chaos.

During the countdown, he glanced around and saw Adrian standing at a corner. However, the familiarity of his nonchalant neighbour he knew wasn’t within his eyes. His eyes were grim and expression extremely stern. It was as if something had upset him greatly.

At another corner, the proud Vestige, Miguel, was equally serious. His lips moved slightly, mumbling something over and over. A prayer, perhaps? Even so, his anxious demeanor was unmistakable.

Not far from him, Seraphim, the damned daughter of the lost traitorous Luminous Clan, bit down on her lower lip. Despite her composed exterior, the faint quiver in her shoulders betrayed her fear. For all her strength and skill, even she was not immune to the terror of the unknown.

And finally, Cecilia, the proud heir to the Rosenkrantz aristocratic family, was trembling. It seemed her usual air of confidence was meaningless in the face of the unknown.

Seeing the top four aspirants of the academy in such a state, Klaus found it strange that he wasn’t panicking. Or even anxious.

Maybe this entire situation didn’t feel real to him yet.

With a sigh, he sent a mental message to Briar, who resided within his unique Soul World.

’Hey, Briar.’

’What? Don’t tell me you’re having cold feet now."

’No way. Even if you’re right, it’s too late to back down now.’

’Yeah, right. I can tell you’re anxious, my so-called precious Master.’

’Is that so? The entire situation doesn’t feel real to me.’

There was a sigh inside his head. Briar spoke with a somber voice.

’That’s just another form of delusion. Your mind is telling you the situation is unreal because you’re shaken up. It’s a defensive mechanism really and I have no interest in that. Either way, you shouldn’t be too worried and don’t be so stiff. After all, you have me with you, right? So what’s there to fear?’

’If I recall correctly, aren’t you the same person that couldn’t complete a simple twenty metres sprint?’

’Uhhhhhhh! Don’t you dare bring that up! Also, I haven’t forgiven you for putting me through that hell. Hmph."

Klaus resisted the urge to laugh. He wondered if this was the moment where he was supposed to say he would make it up to her somehow if they both came back alive. However, he had watched too many movies of similar genre to know that was just a huge death flag.

The last thing he needed was to carelessly raise a death flag before he entered the Shadow Realm!

Everything should be fine! No, everything will be fine. I need to have more faith in my abilities.

Additionally, as Briar had said, she also had his back. A succubus was still a member of the demon race, after all and her set of abilities were quite useful if the circumstances were right. Truly, there was nothing to fear.

Taking a deep breath, Klaus calmed his rapidly beating heart and chaotic mind. At the same time, he discarded all distracting thoughts.

As if on cue, the pulsing glow of the gateway intensified, the very air charged with energy as the two-minute countdown neared its end.

Suddenly, Instructor Jet addressed the Aspirants one final time:

"Oh, I forgot to say something. Once you enter the gateway, the Shadow Realm might teleport you to a different terrain so the possibility of all appearing in the same place is extremely slim or close to zero. This is beyond human control so be extremely careful."

Don’t you think you should have said that sooner? How could you carelessly forget important information like that?!

Klaus immediately wanted to protest in anger but was forced to swallow his complaint down his stomach.

The circular structure reached its peak and made several ’biri biri!’ sound as it cracked with unstable energy. Space twisted violently, and with a deafening roar, the crimson glow coalesced into an abyssal vortex as black as the void, swirling with chaotic distortions.

The Shadow Realm had opened its maw!

"The gateway has opened! Go now! Quickly and may you all survive to see tomorrow!"

There was no hesitation.

Like a flood, the aspirants surged ahead and vanished into the gateway one after another. Klaus took a final breath before running into the crimson maw and feeling the cold embrace of something unseen swallowing him whole.

A few seconds later, the continuous swirling nature and shifting colours of the Gateway disoriented him greatly. He even felt the urge to vomit.

Despite his best efforts, Klaus couldn’t resist any further and became overwhelmed by the strange, powerful sensation before proceeding to lose consciousness.

Then, within the echoing darkness of his subconscious, he heard the distant voice of Chaos.

[Welcome to the Shadow Realm, Aspirant Soulless!]

[Prepare for the First Fracture...]